March 1, 2023
When Rumi moves to a brand-new coast, friendship feels hard to find. Although he is assigned the best seat in the room--right next to the class pets--brown-skinned Rumi still feels unwelcome and out of place in his new school. At recess, instead of playing with his diverse classmates, he sits beneath a willow tree in the schoolyard, dreaming of the cypress trees he loved back home in San Francisco. Things get worse when classmates Asher and Ella (both light-skinned) tease Rumi, making fun of the shoes he'd decorated with his friends in California. The bullying escalates when Asher throws a crumpled ball of paper at Rumi and later injures Rumi with a stone. Rumi's classmate Han, who is Asian-presenting, comes to his defense, and the rest of the class soon follows, all eager to contribute to the drawing Rumi has been working on in the dirt beneath the tree. When Asher wanders back inside, alone, Rumi has a decision to make--does he want to perpetuate the bullying or end the cycle of exclusion? Based on an experience that happened to the author's son, this poignant story captures our capacity for cruelty but also for forgiveness and acceptance. Precise language and well-chosen scenes create a cast of believable characters in only a few words, while the vibrant illustrations artfully use color and light to heighten the mood of each scene. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A loving and lyrical tale about belonging. (Picture book. 4-7)
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March 20, 2023
When Rumi moves across the country, his new teacher’s request that the class make him “feel at home” goes unheeded. During recess, most of the students, shown as racially diverse, ignore Rumi, who’s portrayed with brown skin and black hair. White-presenting Asher insults him (“His shoes are ugly”), and another light-skinned student laughs. East Asian-presenting Han “didn’t think it was funny,” but says nothing. Over the next few days, Asher continues to harass Rumi, who sits alone, “twirling a twig beneath the shady old willow tree,” portrayed by Pham (Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn) in layered scenes as a majestic bower of delicate green leaves. The escalating situation peaks with a stone thrown at Rumi, an event that pushes Han to act, precipitating a discovery about the new classmate and offering the kids a way forward. Han’s action is the fulcrum in this compassionate tale about turning bystanders into upstanders, and the move to offer solace to Rumi rather than to confront Asher offers readers another way to intervene when there is conflict. An author’s note discusses the personal seeds of this story by Saeed (Amal Unbound). Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.
May 1, 2023
Preschool-Grade 1 On his first day in a new school, Rumi feels shy and keeps to himself. While the other kids play at recess, he sits alone under a tree. A couple of classmates make fun of Rumi's shoes, which he had decorated with his friends at his former home, and this makes him homesick. One boy gives Rumi an especially hard time and even throws a rock, hitting Rumi in the knee, drawing blood. Up to that point some of the children appeared uneasy with Rumi's treatment and now are unsure what to do. Their remorse is clearly pictured, as is the guilt felt by the rock thrower. Another classmate asks Rumi if they can play together, and when he and the other children see what Rumi has created under the shady tree, they join in his activity. Mixed-media illustrations reveal a multicultural classroom of children, with black-and-white sketches being used to depict the moments of regret and sadness. Ultimately, the way Rumi and the bully form a bond is a wonderful lesson for all readers.
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Starred review from September 8, 2023
PreS-Gr 2-A picture book about how one act of kindness can open up a brand-new world where all are welcome. Rumi moves across the country in the middle of the school year. The reserved, brown-skinned boy twirls a twig under a shady willow tree during recess instead of playing with the other kids. Two of his classmates tease him and another just looks on. The teasing goes too far when a boy throws a rock at Rumi that scrapes his knee. The children immediately regret it; the perpetrator retreats guiltily, while the others join Rumi under the tree where they see the fantastical world Rumi has drawn in its shade. Soon, all of the other kids at recess begin to draw, too. Instead of ostracizing the boy who threw the rock, Rumi and his new friends, in a wordless spread, invite him outside to play-together-under the same tree. Inspired by an incident her son experienced, Saeed's latest explores bullying and the importance of intervening bystanders. The narrative uses spare language to convey so much-drama, wonder, and, sometimes, pain and misunderstanding. Pham's art expertly works in tandem. The characters' expressions and movements come across movingly. In the scene where a boy throws the rock, the colors seemingly drain away, leaving everyone aghast, and slowly reappear as the resolution surfaces. Even the font placement and page design add to the impact of the story. VERDICT A tale of community that deserves a place alongside Jacqueline Woodson's The Day You Begin and Kerasco�t's I Walk with Vanessa.-Shelley M. Diaz
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