Shooting Kabul

Brief overview:

Relocating to California from Afghanistan hasn't been easy for sixth grader, Fadi, and his family. But winning a photography contest could give Fadi a chance to find his missing little sister.

Recommended age range: 8-12 years old

Strengths:

• Lovable characters who you root for 
• Well-written multi-cultural story 
• Navigates harder topics well for this age
• Introduces young readers to Afghan culture in a personable way
• Photography a part of the storyline
• Shows a loving, supportive family walking through difficult times
• Grants young readers a chance to understand the life of a refugee in an engaging way

Notes for Parents:

• [Spoiler alert] Some bullying takes place in the book (but it's not the primary focus). At one point, Fadi fights back and gets suspended from school for three days along with the two bullies. Later on, Fadi and some other boys who were bullied confront the bullies. Rather than cross the line of using physicality, the group opts to toss the bullies into the lake.
• [Spoiler Alert] In one scene, Fadi's guilt and stress about his missing sister triggers him in a toy store. His missing sister owned a well-loved Barbie and when he sees some in the store, he tries to destroy them. This isn't a long scene and the character is kind, but this scene shows his guilt and stress about the situation.
• [Spoiler Alert]: Fadi tries to runaway to the airport by hiding in the trunk of his dad's taxi car to find his missing sister. He's unsuccessful and gets in trouble for this foolish move. 
• This book takes place around the time of 9/11. This isn't the focus of the book, but it is mentioned and provides a backdrop to the some of the difficulties Fadi faces.
• [Spoiler alert] It's unclear if Fadi ever shares with his family that he feels responsible for his sister getting lost, but he does confide in his photography teacher.
• Uses "drunken turkey" and "p*ssed" once. 

I, Doko: The Tale of a Basket

Brief overview:

A Nepali folktale about valuing the elderly told from the perspective of a basket, doko.

Recommended age range: 8-12 years old

Strengths:

• Beautiful illustrations 
• Story adapted from a traditional Nepalese folktale
• Multi-generational families depicted to show the course of our lives and how roles shift over time
• A way to introduce Nepali culture to young readers
• Emphasizes the value of every human life isn't measured by age

Additional Notes:

• Deals with a heavier topic: our responsibility to care for our aging loved ones
• Seems less suited for the typical picture book audience, but could be useful for families interested in learning about other cultures or for older elementary kids doing a country unit study on Nepal.
• This is a bit more in line with traditional fairytales and touches on its lesson in a heavy hitting sort of way. In this story, the following topics are mentioned: drought, the death of a loved one, injury, a mistake leading to a fire, quarreling, considering sending an elderly loved one somewhere else to provide better care, the child providing the key lesson of the story. I would recommend parents reading this first to determine if this style suites their family.
• Could pair this with a biblical story about how God creates each person in His image and our responsibility to care for others