Children's Fiction Multigenerational
Many Things At Once
- Publisher
- Random House Publishing Group
- Initial publish date
- Jan 2025
- Category
- Multigenerational, NON-CLASSIFIABLE, Asia
- Recommended Age
- 4 to 8
- Recommended Grade
- p to 3
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780593643907
- Publish Date
- Jan 2025
- List Price
- $24.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
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.
About the authors
Veera Hiranandani's profile page
Nadia Alam is an illustrator, and first generation Bangladeshi-Canadian. She is an avid daydreamer and meanderer who draws to capture the world as she sees it. Awake, Asleep is her first picture book. She lives in Toronto with her husband, two lovely kids, and a dog named Momo. Visit her online at nadiaalamillustration.com
Editorial Reviews
"This thoughtful portrait explores the doubt that many interfaith and biracial children feel about not fully belonging....A quiet reflection on belonging and acceptance." —Kirkus Reviews
"A tender personal story with universal themes of plurality that young readers will enjoy." —Booklist
"This picture book is a gentle, age-appropriate acknowledgement of how feeling “many things at once” is part of belonging to multiple cultures while still celebrating the rich histories and traditions of each." —The Bulletin
