BABA'S GIFT

A father tells his six children about his journey from Iran to a new life in America.

Baba gave each of his children a middle name from his homeland. As they look at the moon from their home in California, Baba remembers the moon that illuminated his nights as a boy in Iran. As he dances with his children on the beautiful floral Persian carpet—the one his mother packed in his big suitcase when he left for America—the young narrator asks him about his home in Iran. Tracing “the swirling indigo and pomegranate colors of the carpet,” Baba tells them about the lush gardens, loving neighbors, warm summer nights, and family walks after dinner beneath the moon. Though he adored his home, he was curious about the rest of the world. When asked why he didn’t teach them Farsi, Baba is honest, revealing, “It was too painful. The language reminded me of all I left behind.” The authors deftly capture both the hardship of leaving home and the opportunities Baba gained as he became a doctor. The choice to focus on the Persian carpet is inspired; Taherian’s vibrant cut-paper collages show the floral patterns from the carpet extending and surrounding the characters, complementing the text and conveying Baba’s love for his children, Iran, and his family. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poignant story woven with a reminder that no matter how far we journey, family is always with us.