New Delights to Share: Insha'Allah!

HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2024

Join me in welcoming and celebrating two new picture books that feature cultural situations and characters  but provide universal appeal and learning. The first is INSHA'ALLAH, NO, MAYBE SO, co-authored by Rhonda Roumani and Nadia Roumani and illustrated by Olivia Aserr. 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2024

This picture book is an ideal example of ways in which stories depicting non-dominant cultures and patterns can transcend specific traditions or patterns to serve every child.

For decades (centuries?) it was conventional wisdom that all children and families who were NOT of the majority culture would still find themselves within stories featuring that single dominant culture. The truth is, all kids who ask for what they want are counting on hearing YES, in any language or culture. Anything less (we'll see, maybe, etc.) comes across as NO! That universal emotional expectation and response is portrayed in this story so well, for any child. It also reveals a family/cultural pattern that might be new or less than fully understood by others. It's a story in which EVERY child can find themselves nodding along.

The expression, Insha'Allah, is launched in INSHA'ALLAH, NO, MAYBE SO through the first-person voice of a child who calls out her mother for always saying Insha'Allah, meaning NO! Mama patiently explains that the expression means "God willing", not NO!. Mama listens closely as Rana reveals how it always feels like NO to her, and then her mother clarifies that it is used for things we WANT to happen, but don't know if they will. 

Examples are kid-friendly. (Go to the park? It might rain; Bake cookies? Not enough time before bed; Have a sleepover? Someone got sick.) Some things are NO, some are MAYBE SO, and some are INSHA'ALLAH... it is out of our hands, for now. 

The art in this new release is lovely, with saturated colors depicting figures with natural  edges, readable expressions, familiar settings, and a warmth that is undeniable. There's a humorous twist or two at the conclusion and the story's topic and appeal spans many ages. I highly recommend this lovely story.

Also a story with universal appeal is THE PLANT RESCUER, written and illustrated by Matthew Rivera. 

First line: "Manny and his dad come from a long line of gardeners."

The following pages reveal the lush and lively experience and skills Dad brings to developing and maintaining landscapes that are verdant and healthy. Manny and Dad live in a space without outdoor planting options, but Dad's love and skill turn their apartment into a lush "jungle". 

Manny accompanies Dad in his work, appreciating his evident talent and also celebrating his family heritage. But when Papa buys Manny his very own plant and urges him to keep it well and strong, problems arise. Manny has an expert close at hand to ask for help, but he opts to solve this himself, to earn and prove his place in this family lineage.  He draws on the boundless resources of a library to learn what he needs to know and do, to rescue his own plant, Amigo. The happy resolve to his worry allows Manny and Dad to share plants with their diverse neighbors as Manny claims his space as youngest among their long line of plant rescuers.

I really enjoyed the vibrant and phenomenal abundance of the plants throughout, making each page a celebration of life as well as an invitation to look closely, find out more, and appreciate the nuances of plant shapes and colors.

Both books offer warm and welcoming stories for all readers, providing mirrors to children who share their heritages, and windows to those of other backgrounds and identities. Both are going to be classroom and library favorites.

WOMEN in Congress: Contemporary and Historic Change-Makers!

Calkins Creek, 2023
Imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers

I'm eager to share two important picture books about United States Congresswomen. The first is, in fact, about the very first woman who was elected and served in Congress. A TAKE-CHARGE GIRL Blazes a Trail to Congress is written by Gretchen Woelfle and illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. Jeannette Rankin's story begins in "the old West". As a teen in Missula, Montana, she helped care for younger siblings, cooked, cleaned, sewed, and stepped up in every emergency that arose. She was no slouch when it came to brains, earning a college degree, teaching school, studying science, and working as a dressmaker and hat designer. Nothing felt "right" to her, until, at age twenty-seven, she visited a San Francisco neighborhood of destitute poverty. She decided she could do the most good by training as a social worker.

After working there and in New York City with women and children in need of everything from food to clothing to health care to shelter to education, she saw an even greater need than one woman or organization could meet. Rankin resolved that the best way to help was to change the laws. But women did not even have the right to vote. In 1910 she traveled and spoke and campaigned across the country for federal laws to allow women to vote. When her home state of Montana led the nation in guaranteeing women's rights to vote in 1914, Jeannette went a step further and ran for office. Her take-charge approach included a grass-roots effort to reach every voter in Montana, and that finally included women. She was a tireless advocate for protections and rights for children and women, declaring, accurately, that she might be the first woman serving in Congress but she would not be the last! 

More than a century has passed since Congresswoman Rankin was sworn in, and female representatives are still far fewer than the 51% of women within our national population. Even so, the current Congress has a record number of female representatives, 29%. That's exactly 128 women members of the total 440. Back matter in this important biographic profile of a female political change-maker highlights some of her many historic accomplishments, including a timeline of her life.

CLARIOON BOOKS, 2022

For a contemporary look at one of those 128 current women elected to serve, read about a Congresswoman whose success is equally remarkable and historic. MAMA IN CONGRESS: Rashida Tlaib's Journey to Washington, is co-authored by Rashida Tlaib, Adam Tlaib, and Miranda Paul, with illustrations by Olivia Asser. The narrator's voice is that of Rashid's son, Adam, who recounts the ways in which his family supports his mother's campaigns and her service, as well the struggles and outright resistance their family has met to help her succeed. Across the intervening century, active resistance is less about her being a woman than it is about her identity. But she was not, would not be stopped.

The causes supported by both Tlaib and Rankin center on JUSTICE, on ensuring a level playing field  for all, and on providing the security of basic life needs for everyone, regardless of background or origins.There is much to learn from both women in these two outstanding picture books, and each title is likely to spark curiosity while  inspiring young girls and women to consider engaging with political roles. There are also valuable nuggets of learning about government functioning and processes in each. Don't miss out on either title.