PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Many Things at Once by Veera Hiranandani & Nadia Alam
ABOUT THE BOOK
In this poignant picture book about family and belonging, the child of a Jewish mother and a South Asian father hears stories about her family history. Sometimes she doesn't feel Jewish enough or South Asian enough, but comes to realize you can feel--and be--many things at once.
Based on the author's own family history, here is a moving story about a young girl from two different backgrounds. The girl’s mother tells her stories about her mother, a Jewish seamstress in Brooklyn, New York. She lived in a tiny two-bedroom apartment and sewed wedding dresses shimmering in satin and lace.
Her father tells stories of his mother, the girl’s other grandmother, who liked to cook bubbling dal on a coal stove in Pakistan. They tell stories about how both sides came to America, and how, eventually, her parents met on a warm summer evening in Poughkeepsie.
The girl sometimes feels as if she's the “only one like me.” One day, when she spots a butterfly in her yard, she realizes it’s okay to be different—no two butterflies are alike, after all. It’s okay to feel alone sometimes, but also happy and proud. It’s okay to feel-- and be-- many things at once.
REVIEW
One of the great things about diverse literature for children is the opportunity it offers for readers both young and old to see the world through the eyes and experiences of those both like ourselves and different than ourselves. Based on the author's own family history, the girl at the heart of this story comes from a Jewish American mother and a immigrant father from India. Not only are the cultures quite different but so are the religions. While the girl is proud of her family history she also struggles to feel like she fits in with either side of her family. As the girl photographs butterflies and ponders the fact that no two butterflies are exactly alike, she eventually comes to accept that it is possible to be uniquely oneself and 'part of many things at once'. The author's note at the end of the book gives a more extensive background of the author's family and why she wrote the book. As far as content goes, pograms are mentioned at one point in the story but not explained. Some young readers may be curious about what a pogram is so the author's note gives a definition and more context. The themes of the story are important ones related to finding one's place in the world and feeling okay being many things at once and the dangers of stereotypes. The book is great for teaching and sharing with children. Recommended.
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