Review by Booklist Review
The concept of shapes serves as a unifying theme as Rashin excitedly prepares for her first day of school. She relishes the smiley-face pancakes her mother makes and the honey from a bottle that looks like a bear. As the family walks to school, they see many things along the way that translate into shapes--and memories, for Rashin, connecting her old home with her new one. Although Rashin is no longer wearing a headscarf, it was part of her school uniform in Iran and appears in the illustrations as she recalls funny adventures with her old friends. Once in her new bright, happy classroom, Rashin's teacher asks the students to share bits of their backgrounds and starts the process by telling them that her grandparents came from Benin, a long, skinny country that looks like a flashlight. Juxtaposing colorful maps and flags of each country with a humorously similar shape keeps the tone light. Oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencils, pastels, and collage in exuberant illustrations give each child a unique look and allow for significant details such as differing hair textures. A warm and welcoming story about a group of children who may have come from other places but have found a classroom that is "shaped like a home."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this buoyant, vibrantly illustrated story, Kheiriyeh centers an Iranian girl's first day of school in America. Shapes and sensory experiences are the focus of attention as she notes breakfast items Rashin's mother serves: "a smiley-face pancake and happy eggs." Tan-skinned Rashin remembers sensate elements from her life in Iran (the smell of bread shaped "like my braided hair"), and notices differences in New York City, where she lives now ("Everyone is in a rush"). Upon arrival in her ethnically diverse class, teacher Mrs. Martin ask the children to share the shapes of their home countries: "I grew up in New Jersey," she says "but my grandparents came from Benin, which is long and skinny--like me!" Having a teacher who engages the children about similarities and differences makes everything easier as bright, chalky spreads combine distinctive shapes with lively patterns and colors, creating a road map for curiosity and learning. Ages 4--7. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--It's hard to find a more joyful take on the first day of school in a new country than that found in Kheiriyeh's new work, narrated by a small Iranian girl named, like the author, Rashin. Artfully recalling her old home, where the girls dressed in traditional garb resemble, sweetly, a carton of eggs, Rashin embraces everything new, from honey in plastic bear bottles to the city walk to school in the rain. In a school room full of children from all over the globe, their teacher, Mrs. Martin, explains her parents originally hail from the country of Benin, and shows them its shape--a flashlight. When it is Rachin's turn, she shows them that Iran is shaped like cat, and she meows. The shape of home, for all the children, is the warmth of sharing, without prejudice or mockery, and with an understanding that no matter where they are from, they are welcome in the here and now. The illustrations are verve-filled and colorful, in a New York City setting in which almost everyone is smiling. VERDICT As an ode to the idea of home, wherever that is and whatever that means, this is bliss. If all children had this kind of first day, who could predict what might happen next?--Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Iranian immigrant Rashin is getting ready for her first day of school in the United States. She begins her day with a series of cheerful shapes or memories of shapes that brought her happiness in Iran. For breakfast, her mother makes her a circular pancake shaped like a smiley face for good luck. When she walks to school in the rain, she uses an umbrella that is shaped like a cat, and she passes bicycle and car wheels shaped like circles. She starts to miss the shapes she knew from Iran, like the braided bread from the baker's, the triangular sails of paper boats, and the heart-shaped wreaths her best friend, Azadeh, made from fresh blossoms. At school, the shape theme continues when Rashin's new teacher, Mrs. Martin, tells them she is from Benin, which is shaped like a flashlight. Soon all the children are introducing their home countries and their shapes: Japan is shaped like a seahorse; Italy is shaped like a boot. And, of course, there's Rashin's own country, Iran, which she says is shaped like a cat. By the end of the day, Rashin is feeling a little better about going to school--and about calling America her home. This ebulliently illustrated, frankly told immigration story glows with good cheer and artfully balances homesickness, excitement, and fear. The author's thematic use of shapes is an organic, child-friendly way to drive a plot that is both emotionally layered and fun to read. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A creative, child-centered picture book about finding a new home after immigration. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
