by Rashin Kheiriyeh (Author) Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator)
When Parastoo’s mother must go away for the winter, the cycles of nature give Parastoo hope that her mother, like the birds, will return in the spring.
Parastoo loves the colors that make up her world, and especially loves the blue swallows in the tree outside her window. She’s sad when they fly south for the winter—and this year is hard because her mom has to go away for a while, too. Fortunately, her grandparents take great care of her, and she continues to find joy in the wonders of each season. But she longs for spring, when her mother will return just like the swallows.
Celebrating the cycles of nature, this warm family story offers a reassuring message about how seasons of nature—and life—come and go, each with their own special beauty.
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A rich story that urges readers to hold on to hope.
Parastoo, a child whose name means "swallow bird" in Farsi, loves the swallows that live in the tree outside her window--"They are the bluest blue she's ever seen, like a little piece of the sky." In mixed-media paintings, Kheiriyeh (This Baby. That Baby.) shows Parastoo and her mother gazing at the birds darting and swooping outside. In the summer, the birds fly among the blooming flowers, and in the autumn, they head south. So does Parastoo's mother, a nurse who travels to the border to care for soldiers. The swallows and Parastoo's mom will be back in the spring, so Parastoo makes a calendar and checks the days off to help the time pass more quickly, and her grandparents think of amusements to ease the period of longing. In spreads tinged with electric hues, the wind seems to always be blowing; autumn leaves dance, the ribbon on Parastoo's mother's hat flies, and, as Parastoo and her grandfather work on a project, their scarves wave. In every season, the beautiful blue that Parastoo loves appears somewhere in the artwork. Waiting is difficult, but the swallows always return--and so does Parastoo's mother, in this loving meditation on the progression of seasons and missing a loved one. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Bright, dynamic illustrations feature blue and orange motifs throughout, lending the book a feeling of vibrancy even in moments of sadness. The passing of the seasons parallels the separation of mother and daughter, and moments of melancholy are enlivened by hope. . . . A rich story that urges readers to hold on to hope. —Kirkus Reviews