Zuni and the Memory Jar
by Aisha Saeed, Illustrated by Neha Rawat
Kokila/Penguin Random House 
A joyful picture book about celebrating everyday moments of fun, beauty, and wonder, from New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed
Meet Zuni. She’s sweet, silly, ever-so-charming, and full of bright ideas. Her family has a memory jar. Anytime someone in the family does something important, they mark those moments through notes and photos stored in the jar and share those memories together at the end of the year.
Her parents tell Zuni that when she grows up, she’ll have important memories to share, too, like graduations, and milestones, and trophies. But Zuni is already making memories! And at the end of the year, her family gets to see the moments that made an impact on little Zuni.
A deceptively simple story for young and old alike, Zuni and the Memory Jar is a reminder to celebrate everyday joys in life along with the grand achievements.
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
This review was originally published in 
Gr 4-8–It’s been three months since 11-year-old Samira and her family fled persecution in their homeland of Burma; three months since they paid a man to board a boat to cross the Naf River, seeking safety and a better life in Bangladesh; and three months since that same river swallowed her grandparents alive and dragged them to the bottom of the sea. In Bangladesh, Samira and her family do their best to make a life as unregistered refugees living outside of the refugee camps: Samira sells hard-boiled eggs along the beach to tourists; her brother cleans dishes and tables at a local café, and her father performs grueling work on shrimping boats. As refugees, they face resentment, suspicion, and threats of violence by some members of the local Bengali population, who view them as competition for scarce resources. Meanwhile, Samira struggles to pursue her own dreams, which conflict with her parents’ cultural expectations. New friendships along the beach offer community and the opportunity to surf, an activity that gives Samira freedom and the chance to face and overcome her fears. Written in verse, this well-paced novel weaves Burmese history and the plight of the Rohingya, a persecuted predominately Muslim ethnic minority. Characters are multidimensional and are portrayed with nuance and empathy. Illustrations offer additional texture and help bring the plot to life. Although this is a work of fiction, it will hopefully inspire readers to learn more about the “surfer girls of Bangladesh,” the Rohingya people, and Southeast Asian history.
Fatima’s Great Outdoors, a picture book about an Indian American Muslim family’s experience camping, was published on March 30, 2021. It’s proven to be a wonderful book for sparking discussions about a host of topics, including the range of representation in immigrant experiences in children’s literature, especially as it relates to the South Asian community. 
Fatima Khazi, an eight-year-old immigrant from India, is excited for her first ever camping trip with her family. After a rough week at school, this is the perfect getaway. Packed into the car, snacking on savory Indian treats, and singing along to old Bollywood songs by Rafi, a popular singer in India, the family makes their way to the campsite. The resourcefulness and ingenuity of her mother solves problems with a frightening spider, a stubborn tent, and a campfire that won’t catch. Fatima and her hardworking parents want to enjoy this “great American pastime” and eat Halal bacon along with their traditional Indian meal of shami kababs, roti, and anda.
South Asian readers will relate to cultural touches and vocabulary in the book. However, there is no glossary to help other readers understand these unfamiliar words like nani (maternal grandmother), Apa (older sister), shabash (word of encouragement), roti (bread), shami kebabs (beef patties), samosas (fried pastry), aanda (fried egg), ghee (clarified butter), and Rafi, a famous singer from India. 
It is an endearing book for young readers, though its tropes and cliches were a bit excessive for a South Asian immigrant like myself. Even so, I feel that the book is a nice introduction to the immigrant experience. Venturing into camping is clearly a step into the unknown, just like immigrating to a brand new country is a huge step in itself. The reader roots for this little girl and her family’s resourcefulness. 
Thank you to Kokila for providing digital access to this book. Fatima’s Great Outdoors was published March 30,2021.
Fatima’s Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq