Two sisters have waited all spring and summer to pick berries with their ningiuq, their grandmother. They’ve gone fishing, dug for clams, and by the time late summer arrives, it’s finally time for berries! Ninguiq and the girls head out to pick berries, rain or shine nothing will stop Ningiuq! Through driving rain and early autumn snow the girls and Ningiuq pick as many sweet berries as their buckets can hold. The hard work is all worth it to enjoy the delicious treats Ninguiq creates with her berries.
Grandmothers
The Great Grrrrr
Patience is not in the Great Grrrrr’s strongest trait. He is a monster in a hurry and has packages to deliver, so you had better answer the doorbell before his patience runs out, or worse, it starts to rain. Frustration and impatience explode onto the pages of this hilariously expressive two-color picture book.
Three Stalks Of Corn
When Angelica’s grandmother explains the legends and uses of corn, the three tall stalks in the garden take on new significance.
Thunder’s Hair
Thunder is tired of dealing with bullies at school who pick on him because of his long hair. They don’t understand why a boy would grow his hair long. When he is sure he has made up his mind to cut it, his grandmother reminds him of the power of having long hair.
Rainbows In December
Kimi’s grandma helps her navigate one of life’s hardest experiences, the death of a loved one. When Kimi is faced with confusing emotions and questions, she receives her answers in different ways. These ways help her learn all about the natural process of life and death as well as help her feel a connection to her loved one.
Fibbed
After telling too many far fetched tales, Nana Busumuru is sent to spend the summer with relatives in Ghana, where she must join forces with the trickster spider Ananse to prevent an evil corporation from stealing the magic in the village forest.
Dounia And The Magic Seeds
Dounia is the story of a little girl who loves her home city of Aleppo, Syria, and its many smells, sights, and traditions. But when war breaks out, Dounia and her grandparents must flee Aleppo to find safety. Before they go, their neighbour reads their future in a cup of coffee, she sees a long difficult journey ahead of the family and a blue house awaiting them at the end. Taking only a bird carved from Aleppo soap and four little barake seeds in her pocket, Dounia faces dangerous waters, a camp surrounded by barbed wire, and unfriendly soldiers, and she wonders where she and her family belong in the world. Remembering the ancient knowledge that barake seeds ward off evil, she pulls one from her pocket to use for each of the threats they face. Magically, the seeds from their faraway home help them along their way, until they finally find the blue house at the end of their journey.
In her new home, Dounia plants her final seed in a pot so it can grow and offer more seeds, while also keeping a piece of Aleppo with her. The baraké seeds represent the Syrian culture. Although Dounia is fleeing her country, she carries with her the strength of her people. It is by tapping into her roots, represented by the seeds, that she finds her own strength and resilience. The magical moments brought about by the baraké seeds can be interpreted as Dounia’s imagination it’s a way of seeing the war and the migration from a six year old’s perspective. Dounia does not understand everything that is going on, but she is not a powerless victim. By using the seeds, she feels she is taking an active part in her own destiny. In the end, whether it is magic or Dounia’s imagination at play, it’s a story about obstacles faced by migrants and about the courage they have in facing these obstacles. As Marya puts it in her article for TBI Magazine, it reverses the common narrative in North American media that Syria is synonymous with devastation and destruction, and that Syrian refugees can only be victims of their circumstance, rather than brave, vibrant heroes who can take charge of their own stories.
Abuelita And Me
In this poignant, empowering picture book debut, a girl and her beloved abuelita lean on each other as they contend with racism while running errands in the city.
Paati’s Rasam
Malli loved weekends with her Paati. The head massages, the hugs, the engrossing stories, and most importantly, Paati’s delicious, piping-hot rasam. But then, one day, everything changed. And Malli’s world became dark and colourless. No more warm hugs, no more rasam, no more Paati. Can Malli find a piece of her beloved grandmother to hold on to?
Mama Shamsi At The Bazaar
Samira is excited to go to the bazaar with her grandmother for the first time, but finds the bustling market to be intimidating, until Mama Shamsi helps her find a way to feel safe.