Review by Booklist Review
Visiting her father's birthplace, Isfahan in Iran, a young girl enjoys exploring the city, learning about its history, and spending time with friends and relatives, including her grandmother and great-grandmother. After speaking with his childhood friends, one Jewish and one Christian, of Armenian descent, the father is quiet but does not share his feelings. He and his daughter play together and have treats to lighten the mood. Aspects of the culture are introduced with enough context clues that they are understandable for readers with no background knowledge, although a glossary and an author's note provide useful further information. Gloriously colored mixed-media illustrations portray the variety of religious structures (temple, mosque, church, synagogue) and the affluent home with a courtyard, pool, and stables. The child's perspective is maintained effectively as she enjoys the animals and describes many foods. In describing her own childhood experiences, the author presents a story to be read on simple terms (a family visit) or as an exploration of many groups of people over time forming a complicated community.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"My father and I are explorers! Today, we explore Isfahan, his childhood home in Iran," begins this work of intergenerational memory. Gentle, naif-style spreads visualize the duo's climb to an ancient temple, followed by visits and a picnic with two old friends. Along the way, father and daughter pass a synagogue and later enter a small mosque at the city center, whose intricate ornamentation Yankey traces with care. When, at last, they arrive at the father's former home, his childhood nanny and grandmother are preparing dinner. The family eats together, a meal pictured in deliciously colored close focus, then prepares for bed ("The samovar is emptied... and the pigeons are locked in their coop"). Underscoring Isfahan's long multicultural history and recalling specific Iranian lifeways, Javaherbin ends with a reflection on traveling: "When you bring your own light," the protagonist's father tells her, "the world becomes your home." An author's note and glossary conclude. Ages 4--8. (Nov.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A little girl and her father explore his hometown of Isfahan in Iran. They visit the ruins of a fire temple at dawn and meet her father's friend in his Jewish neighborhood, then meet up with another friend near the centuries-old Vank church. At the city center, the girl is awed by the grand palace and mosques and reflects on how the "lace-shaped windows" of the mosque mirror the arcs in the synagogue, church, and temple. They make their way to her father's house, past the coppersmith's bazaar, where her father laughingly recalls childhood antics. At home, they are greeted by his grandmother and his former nanny, who shares some freshly baked sangak bread. Later, they sit down for a winter's meal of chicken and rice with walnut and pomegranate sauce before sleep and dreams take over. This nostalgic story is framed through Isfahan's historical monuments and the interiors of the father's house. The mixed-media illustrations are in a muted palette with bright pops of color -- tiles, fabrics, household decorations. A glimpse into the rich architecture, cuisine, and interreligious history of Iran, this is also an ode to a cherished childhood and a shared past with people of different faiths. An author's note makes personal connections; a glossary is also appended. Sadaf SiddiqueNovember/December 2024 p.69 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this tale inspired by the author's own experiences, a child explores her father's childhood home in Iran. As the sun rises, the narrator and her father start their journey at "the ancient temple" in Isfahan, while carefully rendered chukar partridges perch in the foreground. With matter-of-fact storytelling, naming specific neighborhoods and monuments, the girl recounts what she learns from her father's friends, who take them around the city. They visit a synagogue, a church, and a mosque, noting the "people of all beliefs" who "celebrate the city they built together, side by side." The dreamy, watercolorlike illustrations are at their most saturated, detailed, and showstopping when depicting the blue-and-gold-tile paintings covering the inside of the mosque--and the mouthwatering saffron rice, pomegranate sauce, figs, and radishes at the family's dinner table. After a peaceful evening with her father, his mother, his grandma, and his childhood nanny, the girl falls asleep, dreaming of future adventures. Tinged with love and affection, the narrative concludes with an author's note that offers more information on Isfahan's history and reveals that Javaherbin and her father left Iran following the 1979 revolution, along with others "who chose the hardships of immigration over living under a new oppressive regime." This day in the life is a beautiful, wistful tribute to a beloved homeland. (glossary)(Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
