Mama Shamsi at the Bazaar - by Mojdeh Hassani & Samira Iravani (Hardcover)

About the Book

"It's market day for Samira and her grandma! The bazaar is crowded, but this sweet pair knows how to stick together in this silly picture book set in Iran."--

Book Synopsis

It's market day for Samira and her grandma! The bazaar is crowded, but this sweet pair knows how to stick together in this silly picture book set in Iran.

Mama Shamsi is off to the market, and today, Samira gets to go with her! Samira loves spending time with her grandmother, and she especially loves her chador, which Mama Shamsi wraps around herself every time they leave the house. As the pair get closer and closer to the market, Samira is worried about getting lost in the crowded streets of Tehran, until she has an idea: She can hide under her grandmother's chador. But when Mama Shamsi says no--if Samira hides under there, the pair of them will look like a strange animal! In imaginary spreads, Samira and Mama Shamsi turn into a donkey, a giraffe, a kangaroo, a turtle--hiding isn't working at all. But maybe there's some other way for Samira to stay safe with her grandma in the crowded market.

Review Quotes

NPR Best Books of the Year Selection

★ "Mother-daughter writing team Mojdeh Hassani and Samira Iravani explain in their authors' note that they based this cozy, whimsical outing on Hassani's childhood in Tehran in the 1960s and '70 . . . they evoke the familiar warmth of a child's relationship with a beloved grandparent." --BCCB, starred review

"The mother-daughter team of authors based the story on their own experiences with a grandmother's chador as a safe place to shelter. Hassani also pulled from her memories of the bazaar she visited during her childhood in Tehran . . . An affectionate portrayal of a grandmother and grandchild that also showcases a cultural garment." --School Library Journal

"The rhythmic, playful text beautifully captures the dual patter of an excited child and a bustling city . . . richly hued, often comedically exaggerated illustrations . . . A sweet and gentle story about an oft-misunderstood garment." --Kirkus

"Each of the pair's rhymed exchanges convey a sweet bond as detailed by Hassani and Iravani, who describe Tehran as a magical city and the chador . . . Fidawi's collage-like digital illustrations overlay realistic city scenes with playful images of Mama Shamsi's imaginings, sweetly blending the realistic with the fantastical." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Mojdeh Hassani is a New York-based teacher with more than theirty-five years of experience. She holds two master's degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University in the fields of developmental psychology and early childhood special education. She has always felt that if you know a person you can't hate them, and this is what drives her to share stories from her homeland, Iran. Mojdeh's favorite people in the world are her family and students, and she loves spending time cuddling with her dog, Valentine.

Samira Iravani is a New York native, NYU graduate, and book cover designer. She has been a lover of the written word since she was as little as the Samira in this book, especially tales from Iran, her parents' homeland. When she's not designing or weaving her own tales, she also loves cuddling Valentine (and will not share his attentions with her mom, Mojdeh).

Maya Fidawi graduated from the Faculty of Art at the Lebanese University with specializations in painting and sculpting, and is one of the best loved children's illustrators in the Middle East. She has illustrated more than fifty children's books for publishers based in Lebanon, the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Italy, and has conducted workshops for professional illustrators throughout the Arab World and in Turkey, Italy, and Brazil. Her work has won national and international awards, and she is a two-time winner of the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature, given at the Sharjah International Book Fair to the best children's books published in the Arabic language.