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Sugar in Milk
When I first came to this country, I felt so alone. A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins.
A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people.
A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published October 6, 2020
11 people are currently reading
1220 people want to read
About the author
Thrity Umrigar
20 books2,924 followersA journalist for seventeen years, Thrity Umrigar has written for the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and other national newspapers, and contributes regularly to the Boston Globe's book pages. Thrity is the winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize, a Lambda Literary award and the Seth Rosenberg prize. She teaches creative writing and literature at Case Western Reserve University. The author of The Space Between Us, Bombay Time, and the memoir First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood, she was a winner of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard University. She has a Ph.D. in English and lives in Cleveland, Ohio. (from the publisher's website)"
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October 29, 2020
It’s an old saying that states that if you told a childless person everything parenthood entails they’d never sign up in the first place. I’m not talking about the big things like guiding them on a true moral and/or spiritual path. I’m not even talking about the little things like changing diapers. I’m talking about the esoteric, nebulous, gray area things. The ideas and concepts and problems that are so vast and complicated that simplifying them for children can feel kind of like cheating. Take the issue of immigration. Some people simplify the issue to say that the United States is full up and can’t take any more immigrants. That we simply do not have enough resources. Other people simplify and say that there is plenty to go around if we’re willing to work together, share, and change. Happily, if I were to walk into a children’s library and ask for picture books about immigration I would find plenty of books that incline towards the latter attitude rather than the former. But let’s say a child wants to know why some people don’t like immigrants. Some picture books will try to explain this with metaphors about evil kings or military rule. Others take a subtler approach. Kings? Sure, the book Sugar in Milk has a king but he’s not the center of the story. He’s not even the most interesting element. And while this book doesn't dive deep into why he reject immigrants initially, it does show in the simplest possible manner how such attitudes may change when confronted with ingenuity.
A girl is living in America but she is not happy. Though Auntie and Uncle shower her in gifts and books and beautifully colored walls, she misses her family and her cats. Sure she wants to make friends, but how? One day, Auntie takes her for a walk and tells her the story of a group of immigrants from Persia that was forced to leave home. After sailing for a long time they ended up on the shores of India. Unfortunately, the leader of India was not inclined to take in a people that looked different and couldn’t speak the language. After meeting them on the shore, the king found that the best way to convey his attitude without words was to fill a glass all the way to the very top with milk. You see? All full up. No room. Fortunately, the leader of the travelers was a clever man. Taking a spoonful of sugar from his bag, he stirred it into the milk, then handed it to the king. Getting the message, the king was rather charmed by the gesture and agreed to let them stay. Hearing this story, the girl thinks on the story, and slowly comes to appreciate this land she has come to. A land where there are friends to make and days to enjoy.
The Parsi story about placing sugar in milk to convince a leader that there is a benefit to new cultures/people is not original to Ms. Umrigar. Indeed, the legend was told to her as a child growing up in India and she carried it with her when she moved to the United States. As a librarian ever on the lookout for folktales of any sort, I'd never encountered this story before and was moved by the succinctness of the tale. It doesn't hurt matters any that Umrigar tells it without a word out of place. It gets the point of the story across to the reader without pounding it unnecessarily into their heads. Consider the unspoken message that the leader of the Zoroastrians conveys to the king. “If you let us stay, O Mighty King, we will live in peace, beside all of you. And just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence.” If you’ve ever tried to write a picture book then you know how difficult it can be to convey an idea with a minimal number of words, but with all the emotions of a novel. Umrigar’s book consistently manages to give you heart palpitations with the shortest possible sentences. You are reading an artist at work when you read this book.
And speaking of what an author doesn’t say, let’s look at the framing sequence of this book a little closer. Umrigar doesn’t bother with explanations in general. Our unnamed heroine is a child immigrant. She’s come to a large city (NYC, perhaps) alone and the first sentence (accompanied by a shot of her walking with a suitcase in the snow) is, “When I first came to this country, I felt so alone.” We are not going to learn why she is here. We are not going to know why she left. We are not even going to know whom these people are that she’s staying with. She calls them Auntie and Uncle, but that could be a term of respect if nothing else. They clearly care about her, but as the book says, “my friends and my family were all back home.” Whatever she has left, she didn’t necessarily go because she was bereft. Now child readers don’t need everything spelled out for them. Generally speaking, the human brain takes pleasure in filling in gaps on its own. There are few things I love more than reading to a kid and seeing that little light bulb turn on in their noggins when they realize what’s going on in a book. The trouble here is that they’re never going to get any additional information. There’s no backmatter to spell out the situation. No note in the summary on the back of the book. You’re on your own with this one, kids! For most children, ain’t no big deal. For a few? A deal breaker from page one onward.
It was not until I was typing the name “Khoa Le” idly into my blog’s search engine that I came to the rather latent realization that I already knew her work. 2020 is turning out to be a bit of a banner year for Le. While Sugar in Milk is depicting a Parsi-American immigrant story, over at Carolrhoda Books, Khoa Le has also illustrated the Hmong-American immigrant picture book The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang. Once I realized this I was actually a bit puzzled. On the surface the fact that Le has done both books seems obvious. Both titles are sumptuously drawn, one flitting back in time to a grandmother’s past and the other to ancient India. But when I placed the books side-by-side, I felt an overwhelming admiration for their differences. For all that the color schemes are similar, there is a delicacy to Sugar in Milk that varies wildly from The Most Beautiful Thing. Here, Le is playing with light, as when Auntie opens the door to see the girl stretched out on the floor of her dark room. She’s still filling every page with an overwhelming amount of detail (Auntie’s rose shirt alone is worth a paragraph, but I’ll restrain myself), but the entire feel of the book is different. I can’t describe it any better than that.
In the case of Sugar in Milk, Le is being asked to put a story within a story. It’s a common narrative technique but it poses a challenge for an artist. To confuse young readers as little as possible, it’s a good idea to do something that distinguishes the tale from the world of the person telling it. In the case of this story I found myself looking at what Le does with borders. It reminded me of the Evan Turk book The Storyteller in that way. Ultimately, the borders reflect the mood of the characters. When the King rejects the immigrants out of hand, the borders grow simple and dark. The vines that once curled around the story’s edges have faded and the outlines of leaves are there but there is nothing bright about them. Then, as the Zoroastrian leader conveys his message with sugar, they uncurl. They flourish. They blossom with new intricate vines, studded with leaves and plants and by the end they’ve deepened and burst into colors of their own. The first time you read the book, the borders do not catch your attention. However, you unconsciously understand on some level that this story is different from the one you were previously reading.
Why does a child want a book to be reread? Generally speaking it’s because there’s something in that book that appeals to them on their own level. Now over the last decade or so I’ve read a lot of picture books featuring immigrant children and their families. Some of those books were offensive or poorly written while others were dull or just sort of blended into the sheer number of picture books released each and every year. A couple stand out, mostly because they manage that impossible task of combining child friendliness (a kid will want to reread it) with good writing (an ADULT will want to reread it – never a given), and beautiful art. It’s the glorious trifecta of children’s book publishing and together Thrity Umrigar and Khoa Le have managed it with Sugar in Milk. Part fable, part realistic fiction, this is the kind of book that conveys its message effortlessly. It’s like they say – a spoonful of sugar helps the milk go down.
For ages 4-7.
A girl is living in America but she is not happy. Though Auntie and Uncle shower her in gifts and books and beautifully colored walls, she misses her family and her cats. Sure she wants to make friends, but how? One day, Auntie takes her for a walk and tells her the story of a group of immigrants from Persia that was forced to leave home. After sailing for a long time they ended up on the shores of India. Unfortunately, the leader of India was not inclined to take in a people that looked different and couldn’t speak the language. After meeting them on the shore, the king found that the best way to convey his attitude without words was to fill a glass all the way to the very top with milk. You see? All full up. No room. Fortunately, the leader of the travelers was a clever man. Taking a spoonful of sugar from his bag, he stirred it into the milk, then handed it to the king. Getting the message, the king was rather charmed by the gesture and agreed to let them stay. Hearing this story, the girl thinks on the story, and slowly comes to appreciate this land she has come to. A land where there are friends to make and days to enjoy.
The Parsi story about placing sugar in milk to convince a leader that there is a benefit to new cultures/people is not original to Ms. Umrigar. Indeed, the legend was told to her as a child growing up in India and she carried it with her when she moved to the United States. As a librarian ever on the lookout for folktales of any sort, I'd never encountered this story before and was moved by the succinctness of the tale. It doesn't hurt matters any that Umrigar tells it without a word out of place. It gets the point of the story across to the reader without pounding it unnecessarily into their heads. Consider the unspoken message that the leader of the Zoroastrians conveys to the king. “If you let us stay, O Mighty King, we will live in peace, beside all of you. And just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence.” If you’ve ever tried to write a picture book then you know how difficult it can be to convey an idea with a minimal number of words, but with all the emotions of a novel. Umrigar’s book consistently manages to give you heart palpitations with the shortest possible sentences. You are reading an artist at work when you read this book.
And speaking of what an author doesn’t say, let’s look at the framing sequence of this book a little closer. Umrigar doesn’t bother with explanations in general. Our unnamed heroine is a child immigrant. She’s come to a large city (NYC, perhaps) alone and the first sentence (accompanied by a shot of her walking with a suitcase in the snow) is, “When I first came to this country, I felt so alone.” We are not going to learn why she is here. We are not going to know why she left. We are not even going to know whom these people are that she’s staying with. She calls them Auntie and Uncle, but that could be a term of respect if nothing else. They clearly care about her, but as the book says, “my friends and my family were all back home.” Whatever she has left, she didn’t necessarily go because she was bereft. Now child readers don’t need everything spelled out for them. Generally speaking, the human brain takes pleasure in filling in gaps on its own. There are few things I love more than reading to a kid and seeing that little light bulb turn on in their noggins when they realize what’s going on in a book. The trouble here is that they’re never going to get any additional information. There’s no backmatter to spell out the situation. No note in the summary on the back of the book. You’re on your own with this one, kids! For most children, ain’t no big deal. For a few? A deal breaker from page one onward.
It was not until I was typing the name “Khoa Le” idly into my blog’s search engine that I came to the rather latent realization that I already knew her work. 2020 is turning out to be a bit of a banner year for Le. While Sugar in Milk is depicting a Parsi-American immigrant story, over at Carolrhoda Books, Khoa Le has also illustrated the Hmong-American immigrant picture book The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang. Once I realized this I was actually a bit puzzled. On the surface the fact that Le has done both books seems obvious. Both titles are sumptuously drawn, one flitting back in time to a grandmother’s past and the other to ancient India. But when I placed the books side-by-side, I felt an overwhelming admiration for their differences. For all that the color schemes are similar, there is a delicacy to Sugar in Milk that varies wildly from The Most Beautiful Thing. Here, Le is playing with light, as when Auntie opens the door to see the girl stretched out on the floor of her dark room. She’s still filling every page with an overwhelming amount of detail (Auntie’s rose shirt alone is worth a paragraph, but I’ll restrain myself), but the entire feel of the book is different. I can’t describe it any better than that.
In the case of Sugar in Milk, Le is being asked to put a story within a story. It’s a common narrative technique but it poses a challenge for an artist. To confuse young readers as little as possible, it’s a good idea to do something that distinguishes the tale from the world of the person telling it. In the case of this story I found myself looking at what Le does with borders. It reminded me of the Evan Turk book The Storyteller in that way. Ultimately, the borders reflect the mood of the characters. When the King rejects the immigrants out of hand, the borders grow simple and dark. The vines that once curled around the story’s edges have faded and the outlines of leaves are there but there is nothing bright about them. Then, as the Zoroastrian leader conveys his message with sugar, they uncurl. They flourish. They blossom with new intricate vines, studded with leaves and plants and by the end they’ve deepened and burst into colors of their own. The first time you read the book, the borders do not catch your attention. However, you unconsciously understand on some level that this story is different from the one you were previously reading.
Why does a child want a book to be reread? Generally speaking it’s because there’s something in that book that appeals to them on their own level. Now over the last decade or so I’ve read a lot of picture books featuring immigrant children and their families. Some of those books were offensive or poorly written while others were dull or just sort of blended into the sheer number of picture books released each and every year. A couple stand out, mostly because they manage that impossible task of combining child friendliness (a kid will want to reread it) with good writing (an ADULT will want to reread it – never a given), and beautiful art. It’s the glorious trifecta of children’s book publishing and together Thrity Umrigar and Khoa Le have managed it with Sugar in Milk. Part fable, part realistic fiction, this is the kind of book that conveys its message effortlessly. It’s like they say – a spoonful of sugar helps the milk go down.
For ages 4-7.
November 1, 2020
A beautiful message with beautiful artwork.
June 27, 2021
This was such a stunning story with beautiful art. It was like a warm hug!
April 2, 2021
A young girl immigrates to a new country in this beautiful picture-book from Indian-American author Thrity Umrigar and Vietnamese illustrator Khoa Le, and finds herself lost in a world of loneliness. Missing her friends and family back home, she keeps to herself, until the aunt with whom she is living shares an old legend with her. In this tale, a group of people must flee ancient Persia, eventually finding themselves in India. Here, the local king at first refuses to allow them to stay, communicating with these foreigners who do not speak his language by showing them a cup filled to the brim with milk, symbolizing the idea that there is room for no more. The clever Persian leader adds some sugar to the cup, stirring it carefully to avoid any overflow, and handing it back to the king, thereby symbolizing that his group will live in peace with the people already in India, and that they will sweeten the life there with their presence. Convinced, the king allows the Persians to stay, and the story ends happily. The young girl, listening to this tale, sees the land to which she herself has come in a new light, and her changed attitude helps her to find friends and happiness in this new place...
Sugar in Milk is an astonishingly beautiful book, pairing a poignant, thought-provoking story from Umrigar with simply gorgeous illustrations from Le. I have read a great many stories for children about immigration, almost all of them focusing upon the difficulties of the immigrant experience - the hardship of the journey itself, the challenges of living in a foreign culture, the potential danger of intolerance and hostility from the native population. Many of these stories seek to build sympathy in the child reader/listener, for the immigrants amongst us, and they argue for tolerance toward the newcome stranger. Whilst in general sympathy with this literary/social project, I have often felt that we would also benefit from children's books that discuss the larger issue - why people immigrate, why this sometimes creates problems - in a non-emotional way, presenting the pros and cons of immigration as a whole, and avoiding the suggestion (all too often seen in children's books with this theme), that anyone who doesn't believe in open borders, and who thinks there ought to be some sort of limitation imposed upon immigration, is somehow xenophobic or problematic. We would also benefit from stories that explore, not just what the new country owes to her immigrants, but what those immigrants owe to their new country.
I do not think that I have encountered a children's book about immigrants before, that so perfectly explores this latter idea, than Sugar in Milk. The Parsi legend related to the girl by her aunt demonstrates not just that immigrants have something to contribute to their new country, but that what they contribute needs to improve that country. If the host country provides the milk - safety from persecution (as in the inset story), or economic opportunity - then the newcomer should provide the sugar. The ending of the book shows this idea in action, depicting the girl opening up to her new surroundings, and making friends. The implication seems to be that her newfound positive attitude will lead to better things. While definitely not a believer that positive attitude can address all problems - prejudice is a real thing, and can sometimes manifest itself in concrete and destructive ways, regardless of the outlook of the victim - I do think that it is a better starting point, than a fear of and a refusal to engage with the new culture in which newcome immigrants find themselves.
This is a lovely book, and I enjoyed almost everything about it, from the thoughtful, emotionally resonant framing story about the girl, to the idea of folklore as something that can give meaning to our lives, and be used to understand our present circumstances. I simply adored Khoa Le's artwork, loving the gorgeously decorative endpapers, the beautifully expressive interior scenes, the elegantly stylized figures, and the use of color and light throughout. The modern-day setting appears to be New York City, judging by the buildings depicted, and the final scenes in Central Park, which I found appealing. The illustrations here really worked with the text, and I appreciated how the inset story was made visually distinct from the framing story, through the use of decorative borders. I have encountered Khao Le's work before, both in her own books - The Cloud Princess , Sun and Moon Sisters - as well as in her illustrations for Kao Kalia Yang's The Most Beautiful Thing , but I think this may be the most beautiful book she has yet produced, at least of the titles I have myself seen. The richness of these illustrations is astonishing!
Given all of these undeniable virtues, this might have been one of my rare five-star book reviews, had it not been for one thing: namely, the lack of any afterword explaining the history behind the inset legend. This is an omission I find to be a great shame, as most American children have no idea who the Parsis are, why their ancestors had to flee Persia, and what Zoroastrianism is. Without that knowledge, the story told by the aunt here might be perceived as just a fairy-tale, rather than as something that springs from human history. The non-fiction story behind this legend - Zoroastrianism was the native religion of ancient Persia, whose adherents were persecuted and slaughtered by Arab Muslims during the 7th-century Arab conquest of that land. Rather than convert, some believers fled eastward from Persia, finding refuge in India, and eventually becoming the modern Indian ethnic group known as the Parsis - is every bit as fascinating as the legend itself, and while I can understand not incorporating it into the main narrative, the absence of any explanatory note is a real missed opportunity. Leaving that critique aside, this is one I would recommend to any picture-book reader looking for stories about immigration, and how to approach new cultures, as well as to those who appreciate gorgeous illustration.
Addendum: Those seeking a more traditional retelling of the Parsi folktale related here by the aunt, should seek out Mary Joslin's collection, The Lion Classic Wisdom Stories , in which the tale appears, under the title "A Bowl of Milk: A Parsi Tale, from Persia and India."
Sugar in Milk is an astonishingly beautiful book, pairing a poignant, thought-provoking story from Umrigar with simply gorgeous illustrations from Le. I have read a great many stories for children about immigration, almost all of them focusing upon the difficulties of the immigrant experience - the hardship of the journey itself, the challenges of living in a foreign culture, the potential danger of intolerance and hostility from the native population. Many of these stories seek to build sympathy in the child reader/listener, for the immigrants amongst us, and they argue for tolerance toward the newcome stranger. Whilst in general sympathy with this literary/social project, I have often felt that we would also benefit from children's books that discuss the larger issue - why people immigrate, why this sometimes creates problems - in a non-emotional way, presenting the pros and cons of immigration as a whole, and avoiding the suggestion (all too often seen in children's books with this theme), that anyone who doesn't believe in open borders, and who thinks there ought to be some sort of limitation imposed upon immigration, is somehow xenophobic or problematic. We would also benefit from stories that explore, not just what the new country owes to her immigrants, but what those immigrants owe to their new country.
I do not think that I have encountered a children's book about immigrants before, that so perfectly explores this latter idea, than Sugar in Milk. The Parsi legend related to the girl by her aunt demonstrates not just that immigrants have something to contribute to their new country, but that what they contribute needs to improve that country. If the host country provides the milk - safety from persecution (as in the inset story), or economic opportunity - then the newcomer should provide the sugar. The ending of the book shows this idea in action, depicting the girl opening up to her new surroundings, and making friends. The implication seems to be that her newfound positive attitude will lead to better things. While definitely not a believer that positive attitude can address all problems - prejudice is a real thing, and can sometimes manifest itself in concrete and destructive ways, regardless of the outlook of the victim - I do think that it is a better starting point, than a fear of and a refusal to engage with the new culture in which newcome immigrants find themselves.
This is a lovely book, and I enjoyed almost everything about it, from the thoughtful, emotionally resonant framing story about the girl, to the idea of folklore as something that can give meaning to our lives, and be used to understand our present circumstances. I simply adored Khoa Le's artwork, loving the gorgeously decorative endpapers, the beautifully expressive interior scenes, the elegantly stylized figures, and the use of color and light throughout. The modern-day setting appears to be New York City, judging by the buildings depicted, and the final scenes in Central Park, which I found appealing. The illustrations here really worked with the text, and I appreciated how the inset story was made visually distinct from the framing story, through the use of decorative borders. I have encountered Khao Le's work before, both in her own books - The Cloud Princess , Sun and Moon Sisters - as well as in her illustrations for Kao Kalia Yang's The Most Beautiful Thing , but I think this may be the most beautiful book she has yet produced, at least of the titles I have myself seen. The richness of these illustrations is astonishing!
Given all of these undeniable virtues, this might have been one of my rare five-star book reviews, had it not been for one thing: namely, the lack of any afterword explaining the history behind the inset legend. This is an omission I find to be a great shame, as most American children have no idea who the Parsis are, why their ancestors had to flee Persia, and what Zoroastrianism is. Without that knowledge, the story told by the aunt here might be perceived as just a fairy-tale, rather than as something that springs from human history. The non-fiction story behind this legend - Zoroastrianism was the native religion of ancient Persia, whose adherents were persecuted and slaughtered by Arab Muslims during the 7th-century Arab conquest of that land. Rather than convert, some believers fled eastward from Persia, finding refuge in India, and eventually becoming the modern Indian ethnic group known as the Parsis - is every bit as fascinating as the legend itself, and while I can understand not incorporating it into the main narrative, the absence of any explanatory note is a real missed opportunity. Leaving that critique aside, this is one I would recommend to any picture-book reader looking for stories about immigration, and how to approach new cultures, as well as to those who appreciate gorgeous illustration.
Addendum: Those seeking a more traditional retelling of the Parsi folktale related here by the aunt, should seek out Mary Joslin's collection, The Lion Classic Wisdom Stories , in which the tale appears, under the title "A Bowl of Milk: A Parsi Tale, from Persia and India."
September 29, 2021
Beautiful illustrations in this picture book — like, museum-worthy art. I'm likely too old compared to the target audience. Read via library.
Read
November 16, 2020This is a really beautiful picture book based on a Persian legend about immigrants. From the rich, beautiful illustrations to the sweet message of the story, this is a book worth sharing.
August 8, 2020
A lovely story of immigration and assimilation with gorgeous illustrations. When a young girl struggles to adjust to her new home, her aunt tells her the folktale (legend?) of Zoroastrians convincing an Indian king to let them immigrate. I worry a bit that the text burdens a child with her happiness and integration to her new community. She misses home and her parents -- can't she still miss her home and parents while sweetening America?
First picture book I've seen that references Zoroastrianism, although you probably have to know it to know that (the letters on the rug and the religious persecution that led believers to flee Persia for India). A bit of backmatter would've been most welcome.
First picture book I've seen that references Zoroastrianism, although you probably have to know it to know that (the letters on the rug and the religious persecution that led believers to flee Persia for India). A bit of backmatter would've been most welcome.
December 28, 2020
Beautifully lush illustration in this story about an immigrant girl joining her aunt and uncle in a new unfamiliar country where she struggles with loneliness and homesickness. I wish there were some contextual note giving some background on the Persian legend Auntie relates.
April 13, 2021
This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about a young girl who immigrates to the U.S., leaving both her family and friends behind.
December 29, 2020
Oh what a GOREGEOUS book. Seriously, the illustrations of this story are amazing. They will be ineligible due to its first being published in a different language first. Which is a crying shame (and an issue I do have with Caldecott). But this book is an excellent way to share how important it is to have your culture to be a melting pot. Even when we don't think there is room....people can bring sweetness to our lives that would otherwise be missing!
And I loved reading this book at the holidays. After all, Mary and Joseph were refugees seeking a place to call home, to deliver their baby in safety. What joy, what love, what sweetness did the shepherds find in that stable in Bethlehem.
And I loved reading this book at the holidays. After all, Mary and Joseph were refugees seeking a place to call home, to deliver their baby in safety. What joy, what love, what sweetness did the shepherds find in that stable in Bethlehem.
February 16, 2021
Adam rated it 5 out of 5 stars.
March 14, 2021
Beautiful illustrations and an inspiring story!
December 10, 2022
Rebranding this from “book I got from my 8 yr old cousin that I had read to make sure it’s age appropriate” to a statement about the importance of children’s literature.
beautiful illustrations but think author could have used the central unifying message to show how important it is to feel welcomed & accepted in a new country.
don’t come for me xx
beautiful illustrations but think author could have used the central unifying message to show how important it is to feel welcomed & accepted in a new country.
don’t come for me xx
March 4, 2021
The artwork, colors, and the end pages of this book are beautiful! The story is good but I wish it was only the folklore and not a young girl missing her family and trying to love living in a new country.
February 25, 2021
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
March 3, 2022
Een prachtig boek al vond ik het wel magisch hoe makkelijk de problemen van het meisje waren opgelost. Een verhaaltje (die ik kende maar ik genoot van hoe het hier werd verteld en ook de illustraties waren er prachtig bij en gaven het een nieuwe dimensie), een zakje suiker, en klaar. Ik snap dat het een kinderboek was, maar ik had toch iets meer willen zien. Iets meer focus op het meisje. Iets meer tijd willen zien verstrijken en niet BOEM klaar.
De illustraties, gewoonweg WAUW. Wat een feest om die te zien! Mooie schutbladen, mooie illustraties door het hele boek. Je blijft details vinden.
Dus ja, ik heb genoten, maar ik had net iets meer diepgang gewild.
De illustraties, gewoonweg WAUW. Wat een feest om die te zien! Mooie schutbladen, mooie illustraties door het hele boek. Je blijft details vinden.
Dus ja, ik heb genoten, maar ik had net iets meer diepgang gewild.
June 16, 2021
A young girl is feeling lonely in her new home. Her aunt tells her a story from India about the Parsi who came there to find a new place to live. Initially unwelcomed, how do they convince the king to let them stay? Classroom teachers will love the mesage about how we all sweeten and each others' lives.
November 23, 2020
A young girl emigrates from India to New York by herself to live with her aunt and uncle. They try their best to make her feel at home, but she's still sad, missing her family, her friends, and her cats. One day, her aunt takes her for a walk and tell her a story about a group of people who were forced to leave their homes in Persia and find refuge elsewhere. Arriving at an Indian kingdom, the king tell them they are not welcome, his land is already too crowded and the refugees "look foreign and speak a strange and different language I do not understand." Not speaking the same language, the king pours a glass of milk to indicate his land was full like the glass. The leader of the tired travelers takes the milk and adds a spoonful of sugar to it, indicating to the kind that though different, both people could live in peace, and "just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence." Convinced, the king allows the refugees to remain in this kingdom. The story changes the young girl's outlook, helping her to realize that her new home is a welcoming place if she is willing to embrace it. The story the aunt tell has its roots in Parsi folktales. The illustrations that accompany the aunt's tale are just exquisite with a feel of ancient India, while the illustrations that frame the tale and much more modern. This is such a beautiful book about what immigrants bring to a new country with a message of hope and acceptance. It is a wonderful addition to any library.
December 15, 2021
3.5 stars. 5 star art, but I likely wouldn't read it again.
Illustrated by the same artist who who illustrated "The Most Beautiful Thing" (which I read earlier today) and I am just in love with these images as I was in that book. They use a similar palette of cool tones with pops or red and orange. Even the illustrations on the front and back covers (inside the book) are gorgeous! Honestly, I'd love some wallpaper with it.
There is a story within a story (a retelling of an "ancient Persian legend about embracing change, accepting others, and living in a beautiful and diverse society" according to the back of the book), and the Le highlights this by adding a boarder to the portion of the book during which the legend is being told. This is a good story to share always, being about change, but especially when you've moved somewhere new. It serves as a helpful reminder that communication can transcend language barriers and that people are mostly good.
I recognize the author's name and she has an adult book that I'm interested in, "The Secrets Between Us."
Illustrated by the same artist who who illustrated "The Most Beautiful Thing" (which I read earlier today) and I am just in love with these images as I was in that book. They use a similar palette of cool tones with pops or red and orange. Even the illustrations on the front and back covers (inside the book) are gorgeous! Honestly, I'd love some wallpaper with it.
There is a story within a story (a retelling of an "ancient Persian legend about embracing change, accepting others, and living in a beautiful and diverse society" according to the back of the book), and the Le highlights this by adding a boarder to the portion of the book during which the legend is being told. This is a good story to share always, being about change, but especially when you've moved somewhere new. It serves as a helpful reminder that communication can transcend language barriers and that people are mostly good.
I recognize the author's name and she has an adult book that I'm interested in, "The Secrets Between Us."
February 18, 2022
"A powerful immigrant story as sweet as sugar in milk." The story of emigration of Parsi community to India - how the leader of the Parsi community mixed sugar in the milk to show the king on whose kingdom they landed, that they will integrate within the community and make it better. That analogy is applicable to almost every immigrant who, in my opinion, contribute in enriching a community as they bring the beauty, wisdom and knowledge of their own countries to the country that they emigrate to. This rang true to my own immigrant experience.
April 16, 2022
This book is about a young a girl who immigrated to America from another country. She has a difficult time adjusting to her new life in a new country. Her aunt tells her an old Indian folklore in hopes to help her niece. The folklore is about a group of refugees who find themselves in a new land. They approach the king of the new land requesting his permission to live in the land. However, there was a language barrier between the refugees and the king. The king showed the refugees a cup filled to the brim with milk. This meant that his country was full with people and there was no room for the refugees. The leader of the refugees responded to the king by pouring some sugar in the cup of milk. Even though there was a language barrier, the kind heard the leader loud and clear; the refugees would sweeten the lives of the people. The king welcomed the people into his country and they lived at peace. This story inspired the young immigrant and she had a new outlook on her life in America–”make life sweeter wherever [she] wandered.”
This folklore story is not your typical folklore. It is very relevant today. With so much social unrest in other parts of the world, the U.S. is welcoming more and more immigrants. Many of these immigrants attend our public schools. This book will foster great discussions among students and remind them to make life sweeter wherever they go.
This folklore story is not your typical folklore. It is very relevant today. With so much social unrest in other parts of the world, the U.S. is welcoming more and more immigrants. Many of these immigrants attend our public schools. This book will foster great discussions among students and remind them to make life sweeter wherever they go.
November 13, 2020
Very pretty illustrations.
March 1, 2021
Great message. Beautiful pictures.
August 21, 2021
Lovely story and gorgeous artwork
December 18, 2021
This book is about a young girl who has immigrated to a new country to live with her uncle and aunt. She feels alone because she's left her family and friends behind but her aunt tells her a story that makes her feel better about living in a new country. The illustration is beautiful and so detailed! This book is great for kids who are moving to a new place, immigrant children especially.
March 24, 2022
The art is so beautiful
June 23, 2022
The story! The art! All of it is gorgeous.
February 19, 2021
Growing up i heard and retold this story thousands of times(parents uses this phrase when girl is getting married, kind of wisdom words from parents to mix like sugar in groom's (big)family;)). illustrations are amazing.
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