LEILA IN SAFFRON

Name: LEILA IN SAFFRON
Author: Rukhsanna Guidroz
ISBN: 978-1-5344-2564-4

by Rukhsanna Guidroz ; illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2019

A glorious book that’s a feast for both eyes and ears, this story set in a multicultural context will ring true for children...

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Little Leila discovers that she is so much more than just “skinny arms and knobby knees.”

Leila is at her grandmother’s house for their weekly Friday family dinner. When Naani tells her, “Saffron is a good color for you,” a buoyant Leila goes on the lookout for other things to like about herself. That evening, Leila is delighted to discover that she and her aunt have the same smile. She also bursts with pride when everyone praises the curry she helped Naani make (with some cilantro from neighbor Miguel’s garden). Just before going home, Leila tries on Naani’s saffron-colored silk scarf and is surprised by how beautiful she looks in the mirror. Only then does she realize that “each and every part of me comes together to make me who I am.” While young children may need help understanding how Leila gets from A to B, there is much to love about this book. Guidroz’s sensory magic shines in the “clink clink” of Naani’s glass bangles and in her shimmering silk scarves “the color of lentils, bright and orange,” and “pomegranates, juicy and rosy.” Plus, Mirtalipova’s mixed-media illustrations expertly convey the vivacity and warmth of Leila’s family and their Pakistani culture. A glossary in the back provides pronunciations and definitions for Arabic and Urdu words included.

A glorious book that’s a feast for both eyes and ears, this story set in a multicultural context will ring true for children of all stripes. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 18, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5344-2564-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: March 11, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
SAMIRA SURFS
by Rukhsanna Guidroz ; illustrated by Fahmida Azim

- BOOK REVIEW
MINA VS. THE MONSOON
by Rukhsanna Guidroz ; illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)