Bringing Asha Home

By Uma Krishnaswami, Jamel Akib
Paperback: $11.95

A biracial Asian Indian American boy finds his own special way to bond with his sister while the family awaits her adoption from India.

Description

It’s Rakhi, the Hindu holiday special to brothers and sisters, and Arun wishes he had a sister with whom to celebrate. Soon it looks as if his wish will come true. His parents are going to adopt a baby girl named Asha. She is coming all the way from India, where Arun’s dad was born.

The family prepares for Asha’s arrival, not knowing it will be almost a year until they receive governmental approval to bring Asha home. Arun is impatient and struggles to accept the long delay, but as time passes he finds his own special ways to build a bond with his sister, who is still halfway around the world.

With warmth and honesty, this tender story taps into the feelings of longing, love and joy that adoption brings to many families. Readers will find reassurance knowing there is more than one way to become part of a loving family.

About the Creators

Uma Krishnaswami

Uma Krishnaswami was born in India and now lives in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Her novel, Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh, won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Uma has been nominated twice for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. She teaches in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Visit her online at umakrishnaswami.com.

Jamel Akib

Jamel Akib is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared in several picture books as well as in numerous museum and gallery shows in England, including several Best of British Illustration exhibitions. A full-time illustrator of English and Malaysian ancestry, Akib now lives with his family in Salisbury, England.

Awards

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

  • Best Children's Books of the Year

    Bank Street College of Education

Reviews

  • "Appealing illustrations and warm, clear text make this story of a biracial family -- Arun's mother is white and his father is Indian -- and international adoption a good choice for any collection."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Filled with tender details, the story opens and closes on the Hindu holiday Rakhi, a day when siblings honor each other. . . Arun's tale presents an authentic slice of East Indian American life and provides a fresh perspective in adoption stories."

    - Booklist

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781620142257
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 2006
  • Trim Size 10.25 × 7.75 in
  • Weight 0.3125 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1280
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781584302599
  • Publication Date Sep 01, 2006
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 0.875 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 1280
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / People & Places / United States / Asian American
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Family / Adoption
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Social Themes / Emigration & Immigration
  • Themes Adoption, Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Biracial / Multiracial, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Cultural Diversity, Empathy / Compassion, Families, Fiction, Home, Immigration, Optimism / Enthusiasm, People In Motion, Realistic Fiction, Responsibility, Siblings
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 4 - 9
  • Grade Range Grades PreK - 4
  • Guided Reading O
  • ATOS Book Level 3
  • DRA 34
  • Lexile Level 560
  • Reading Level 3
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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