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THE CARPET

AN AFGHAN FAMILY STORY

A love letter to family, culture, and home.

A carpet holds a treasured place for a child and their family, Afghan refugees.

The story begins with this family of six—“mother, father, sisters, brothers”—as they sit on the carpet, sipping tea and talking. As they gather “greens, fresh and crispy,” the carpet becomes a space for food preparation. It is also a place where the protagonist and their siblings can play make-believe games as well as a spot for listening to stories. The carpet is also “for remembering,” however. When war came, the family was forced to leave their home; like a stranger in a strange land, the protagonist sometimes feels lonely and out of place now, but “the carpet keeps me grounded” and connected to their homeland. Inspired by Azaad’s own life, this powerful, lyrical tale speaks to the importance of sharing, learning, caring, and other values. References to basil, mint, dill, parsley, and a mythical bird known as the Simorgh enrich the story, emphasizing the family’s connection to their culture. Cao’s vibrant illustrations complement the text, capturing the importance of the carpet in this family’s life and celebrating “a piece of home.” Though the author’s note mentions that Afghans are about “family, not war,” there is no context about the war in question, so caregivers or educators may need to fill in some gaps. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A love letter to family, culture, and home. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

ISBN: 9781419763618

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

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THE LITTLE GHOST WHO WAS A QUILT

From the Little Ghost Quilt Book series

Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.

A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.

The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)

Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Tundra Books

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020

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THE HALLOWEEN TREE

Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.

A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.

A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.

Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4926-7335-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019

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