As I mentioned in a previous review I like picture books about different cultures, and I have been reading a lot of reader copies online, even though both titles I am going to mention are available for physical copy-owning
I might just get a physical copy of Sugar in Milk as Khoa Le’s illustrations are wild, fun colors, details, and expressive in all ways. They are supporters of the story and their own characters. This Thrity Umrigar tale is a delightful, thoughtful and relatable story (even if you’re not an immigrant, but someone who has had a major change in your life and is feeling lost). A young girl has left her homeland to live with an Auntie and Uncle in America. She’s sad and scared, but not because her family is unwelcoming, in fact the opposite (they painted her room her favorite color), but because she is homesick. Until one day her Auntie tells her a story about how their people came to live in India and how they too had many things to overcome, but found a way to live with others as friends. Sugar in Milk is a way to show how no matter what language you speak, or how far you end up from where you start, there are people who will be welcoming and who understand that like sugar in milk, you can mix cultures and ideas and people together making things more sweet.
And of course, I recommend finding a copy of The Night Before Eid: A Muslim Family Story. Focusing on a special part of the Ramadan holiday, Aya Khalil makes a story about how a simple cookie can bring three generations together. Zain’s grandmother has come from Egypt. And he cannot wait to make cookies with her so he can share them with his family, neighbors and friends at school. But like the values of the holiday, Zain must learn patience and work carefully but determinedly to get the job done. The idea of culture, religion and family all blend together in this Aya Khalil story. We follow the different people who celebrate and how each is similar and different. There is an idea of community shown. And it is supported by the illustrations of Rashin Kheiriyeh. They are a tad on the cartoon-like side of things, but not cartoonish. They are light, and not overwhelming, yet engaging. The afterwards includes a recipe, more about the author and a description of the celebration of Eid.
