Review by Booklist Review
In the idyllic Iranian countryside, as a boy assists his grandmother in weaving a new rug, he recalls, "All of this takes weeks, but in my memory, it's one long wonderful day." A powerful sense of nostalgia anchors the text as we follow the boy on his "day" of learning and making precious memories with his grandparents. There's an overt message at work, as well, established in the title and carried on through the story as the grandmother impresses upon the boy that "nothing in this world is perfect, and nothing should pretend to be." This is reflected in the "Persian flaw," an intentional imperfection included in every rug. Happily, the embedded lesson is just one thread of many woven into the book, which also offers powerful points of wisdom from the grandmother and an introduction to a fascinating art form that will undoubtedly be new to many American readers. Stamper's softly textured watercolor artwork brings a bright, tactile beauty (and many other details) to the work, rendering rugs on the page that look soft enough to sit on. One spread showing the boy and his grandmother designing their rug on graph paper is sure to inspire arts and crafts projects at home or in the classroom. A precious intergenerational story, steeped in art, culture, and the beautiful idea of a perfect memory.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Combining step-by-step details with a tender look at an elder passing on generational information, this extended account by Nayeri (Drawn Onward) traces a child's learning the art of Persian rug-making. The narrator and Grandma share breakfast on the fraying rug that she once made with her own grandmother: "And now it's our turn." First the two visit Grandpa in the field, where he gives them sheared wool that the two wash, card, spin, and dye. A plan is drawn on graph paper ("In our city of Isfahaan, the popular designs look like tiles or gardens in a palace"), and work on the loom commences. While the youth insists on perfection, Grandma pulls out a knot halfway through, calling it "the Persian flaw," and adding , "Nothing in this world is perfect, and nothing should pretend to be. Our job is only to make knots out of the tangles." Though told in present tense, the narration has the feel of family lore burnished by years of reflection. Greens, pinks, reds, and teals dominate intensely hued watercolors from Stamper (The Greatest), which place the family in a pastoral landscape. A concluding author's note offers more about the 2,500-year-old art. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Joanna Volpe, New Leaf Literary & Media. Illustrator's agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
A boy in Isfahan, Iran, learns how to design and make a rug with his grandmother. The new rug will replace the old frayed one in the main room of the house, which the boy's grandmother made with her grandmother. The young narrator learns about rug-making, from shearing sheep to carding and spinning wool, dying yarn, and drafting a design from local design motifs of personal significance. Though the boy fixates on the idea of perfection and wants to make "the best rug in the world," his grandmother gently suggests that the flaws are what make the rug beautiful. Depictions of Persian rugs are central to the soft-hued watercolor illustrations: a colorful, intricately designed rug is shown in use on the floor, while the new rug is shown on the loom, contrasting the beauty and usefulness of the finished product with the painstaking method of creating it. In this tender story, creating a rug becomes not just a moment when traditions can be passed down from one generation to the next but also an example of the beauty of the process and of the importance of family relationships. An author's note gives more information on Persian and Middle Eastern rug-making. Julie Hakim AzzamNovember/December 2025 p.54 (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
Seated on their fraying family rug, an Iranian boy and his grandmother set out to weave a new one together. Upon receiving newly shorn wool from his grandfather, the unnamed child (who narrates) declares that their rug will be the best ever, but Grandma gently tempers his lofty expectations. They wash, card, spin, and dye the wool with indigo, madder, and larkspur, then graph patterns that resemble tiles and palace gardens common to Isfahan, where they live. When the boy insists on flawless design, Grandma points to their current rug: It may be faded, but it's long been a place where family gathers. At the loom, she tells him that all rugs--whether a king's jeweled rug or one that's old and faded--reflect practicality and purpose. She deliberately pulls out one knot--the "Persian flaw"--explaining that nothing is perfect or should pretend to be. Understanding dawns as the boy takes their finished rug for washing and respectfully places the old one under the loom. Nayeri's quietly meditative narrative about finding grace in life's inherent flaws unfolds beautifully, speaking both to the perils of perfectionism and the power of embracing heritage. Stamper's mottled and muted illustrations reinforce the message while adding a sense of time and place. Recurring objects like the samovar, plants, and patterns show purposeful utility and reflect the family's interconnectedness to land and living culture. A tender celebration of tradition, family bonds, and the beauty of imperfection. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
