In a true tale of a young girl in Iran and her grandmother, this beautiful ode to family celebrates small moments of love that become lifelong memories.

In this big universe full of many moons, I have traveled and seen many wonders, but I have never loved anything or anyone the way I love my grandma.

While Mina is growing up in Iran, the center of her world is her grandmother. Whether visiting friends next door, going to the mosque for midnight prayers during Ramadan, or taking an imaginary trip around the planets, Mina and her grandma are never far apart. At once deeply personal and utterly universal, Mina Javaherbin’s words make up a love letter of the rarest sort: the kind that shares a bit of its warmth with every reader. Soft, colorful, and full of intricate patterns, Lindsey Yankey’s illustrations feel like a personal invitation into the coziest home, and the adoration between Mina and her grandma is evident on every page.

Out August 2019

32 Pages Approx.

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very sweet and oddly informational book. Oddly in a fantastic way. I found this book informative because it opened up to me a culture I don’t know a lot about. Oh sure, I see what’s in the news; I see what others say and think… This book looks at the relationship between a child and a grandmother in a different culture with different religious, cultural and political beliefs. Sure there is all that, but let’s set that aside for just a moment and look at the bones of this book–the stuff that holds it together as a story.

Here, you have a grandmother and grandchild who share a special bond despite all those previously mentioned things swirling around “outside” their special life. They love each other tremendously–you can see it in the writing written from the perspective of a sweet, innocent child. This child enjoys her grandmother as most children her age should. This child’s time spent with her grandmother is precious.

Along with the relationship, you learn a bit about their life in Iran, such as how bread is delivered to their home, and some terminology is introduced such as “namaz,” or  “mosque,” or “chador.” You learn about friendships and spending time laughing and drinking coffee, building ‘rocket ships’ out of chadors, something our children may call a ‘fort’ often made out of blankets.

People in many countries have tried to ostracize those with different beliefs and cultures simply because they are not like their own. What is often forgotten, is that we are all human and relate to each other and those in our own families in very similar fashions as many cultures do. In this book, this child dreams of flying a plane, flying a space ship, exploring space…

While eating cookies, grandma listens to the child’s dreams, and active-imagination. During Ramadan, grandma fasts… during Lent, Catholics fast… I think people need to focus on more similarities we share as a species and less on how terrible differences between cultures are.

Sure, there are fanatics all over the world and many people have done horrific things in the name of religion, beliefs, differences… I am not speaking about those humans…

This book introduces diversity in culture, in relationships and understanding more about who we are, and mostly, about acceptance.

Let us be less cruel and more understanding and smile at beautiful stories like this one and share what they have to offer. This is a beautiful book.

I gave it: