A review by gmrickel
My Grandma and Me by Mina Javaherbin

5.0

For anyone who loves their grandma, this book is for you. The author recounts her life growing up with her grandmother, how much she adored and emulated her. This book is also a lovely picture of how one Iranian Muslim grew up, with mentions of prayers and holidays. She and her grandmother are best friends with a Christian family, and there are some very sweet moments that remark upon these relationships. Given the islamophobia in the US and the prevalence of Christianity, I think this is a great book to have on our shelves. One of the pages says, "The next morning when I saw Annette, she whispered a secret to me: 'Last night at the church, my grandma prayed for your grandma to go to heaven!' My eyes widened. 'My grandma did the same thing at the mosque!' Annette and I looked up. Our grandmas were talking and drinking coffee together. I could imagine them knitting and laughing together anywhere -- on Earth, on Mars, or in heaven." This book is not preachy in its inclusion of religion, it is included as just one aspect of life.

I was really drawn to the art. It is listed as "mixed media" and to me it looks like a combination of pen & ink with watercolor. There are so many gorgeous patterns and plants in this book! It is colorful and details. There is a fair amount of text, so not a great pick for a story time, but definitely a book to highlight. Normally I'd shy away from highlighting a book that depicts any religion, but I feel differently about this one.