Sari Sisters

PreS-Gr 2–Kayra and her younger sister Ruhi are very close, but on this day, Kayra’s time to wear a sari (a traditional dress of the South Asian subcontinent) has arrived as she celebrates her coming-of-age. Ruhi is sad she does not have one, but this celebration presents her with an opportunity to showcase her creativity and resilience. With vocabulary words, this picture book for kindergarten-age children is more than a dressed-up story; it highlights family cultural ties and sisterhood as Kayra helps her younger sister overcome challenges. Although set to a small, black font, the festive narrative is spread playfully around the vignette-like and full-page gouache, colored pencil, and tissue paper collage illustrations, created in a soft palette of colors. Syed offers detail-oriented art featuring home decor that attests to the cultural setting of this story. Back matter contains an author’s note about the saris.