Yasmin's Hammer

Review
By Kids Lit

Sprinkled with Bangladeshi words, Malaspina’s text is poetic and strong. She captures the city and the country in tangible ways, through colors, sounds and smells. This is a book about child labor, though it is not overly dramatic. It is a quiet story of desperation in the face of poverty. The focus is on the importance of education for children and the struggles that a family must overcome to offer it. Chayka’s illustrations are filled with warm light. They capture the hustle of the city streets, nicely contrasting it with the quiet of the countryside. Bright colors, enliven his paintings that invite readers into this story. This is an important book that offers a glimpse of children living in very different circumstances than we see in our part of the world. It is one that will spur discussions and also have children realizing how well off they are to not have to work and to be able to go to school. —Kids Lit