bookshelf

SADIQ WANTS TO STITCH

Name: SADIQ WANTS TO STITCH
Author: Mamta Nainy
ISBN: 978-81-933889-1-4

by Mamta Nainy ; illustrated by Niloufer Wadia ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020

Defying gender stereotypes, this book touches upon important topics.

bookshelf

In this book that looks at gender stereotyping from a male perspective, young Sadiq loves to stitch, like his mother.

Unfortunately, in his community, only women and girls embroider beautiful patterns on rugs, while men and boys tend to their sheep and goats. How can Sadiq convince Ammi of his passion for stitching? Sadiq is a nomadic Bakarwal goatherd in the mountainous region of Kashmir in India. This picture book gives an authentic peek into the lush meadows and high mountains where his tribe travels to find the best grass for their herd, sipping their noon-cha (tea with milk, salt, and baking powder) to keep warm. It also highlights gender stereotypes in his community, which allow only women to work on the unique free-form embroidery that Sadiq loves—so he stitches in secret. When Ammi falls ill and is unable to complete a commission, Sadiq surprises her with a rug he embroidered, causing her to reverse her position abruptly to support his needlework ambitions. Colorful watercolor illustrations show expansive landscapes, vibrant embroidered rugs, and the dark-haired, dark-eyed, fair-skinned Muslim Bakarwal people wearing traditional clothes and headgear. The author’s note at the end of the book gives a few more details about this small shepherding community. There is no glossary or pronunciation guide for young readers unfamiliar with the culture.

Defying gender stereotypes, this book touches upon important topics. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-81-933889-1-4

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Karadi Tales

Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
MY MOMO-LA IS A MUSEUM
by Mamta Nainy ; illustrated by Violet Kim

- BOOK REVIEW
A SARI FOR AMMI
by Mamta Nainy ; illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

THE BIG CHEESE

From the Food Group series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.

bookshelf

A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.

From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)