Home Is in Between

Starred review from January 4, 2021
Shanti’s story starts when her family leaves their village in India for an American town “with cold rain and orange and yellow leaves,” and she begins to move back and forth between both cultures: “Remembering the village./ Learning the town./ Again and again./ In Between.” At home, her mother teaches her traditional Indian dance; in town, her friend Tonya, who is Black, takes her to ballet. “Baba taught Shanti Bangla letters”; she reads him The Little Engine That Could in English. Her blue toy elephant accompanies her everywhere, a whimsical, consistent presence. One day, she hits a point of exhaustion: “If only her friends could learn the village./ If only her parents could learn the town./ Again and again./ In Between.” Yet Shanti’s soon ready to go on: “She was good at making/ anywhere feel like home./ Especially here./ In the space between cultures.” Animation-style characters by Naidu (Susie Will Not Speak) reflect emotion clearly, while straightforward writing by Perkins (Between Us and Abuela) shows how Shanti learns to appreciate aspects of her new life while keeping people and elements from her old one close to her heart. Ages 3–6.

January 1, 2021
National Book Award finalist Perkins' picture book depicts a tale of immigration and adaptation. In the opening spreads, Shanti says "goodbye" to her West Bengal village, with its "warm monsoon rains" and its "green palm trees," and gives a dubious "hello" to a "town with cold rain / And orange and yellow leaves." Here, in the United States, Shanti lives a bifurcated life: Inside feels familiar, with Ma cooking luchi; outside feels strange, with "napkins on laps" and "no elbows on tables." Shanti occupies a liminal space, the "in-between" of the title, ricocheting from kathak dance to ballet, from Bollywood to Hollywood, from harmonium to piano. "Learning the town. / Remembering the village. / Again and again. / In Between." When a White kid explains T-ball to Shanti and then demands, "Where are you from, Mars?" Shanti "feels tired" at this obviously racist attack. A couple of page turns and some months (judging by the illustrations) later, however, suddenly Shanti realizes she is "good at making anywhere feel like home. / Especially here. / In the space between cultures." Kolkata-born, Australia-based Naidu's illustrations are light and full of motion, reinforcing both the book's tone and its content. Shanti's expressions, including wonder, frustration, and exhaustion, are particularly emotive. In an author's note, Perkins explains that such code-switching was exhausting to her as a new immigrant but acknowledges it as a gift as an adult. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.5-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 9% of actual size.) The book will appeal particularly to children and families navigating this space between cultures. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from March 1, 2021

K-Gr 4-Perkins explores a child's experience of immigration in a sweet and child-friendly story presented in a beautifully illustrated package. Readers meet young Shanti, a girl with brown skin and black pigtails, as she and her parents leave their village in India and relocate to a "town" in the United States. Shanti moves back and forth between cultures, first skipping, then running, then trudging. These changing action words are a metaphor for the labor of navigating between two sides of one's self. Perkins shows cultural examples: the familiarities of the village carried over in food, music, and household habits, along with the new sports, language, and holidays of the town. A refrain repeats: "Remembering the village. Learning the town. Again and again. In between." There are endearing moments. Shanti makes a new friend quickly and enjoys learning with her about town life. But she also struggles with school, misses family, and is the target of microaggressions. The range of emotions shows on her face: excitement, longing, frustration, comfort, and defeat. Naidu's animated style, with bright popping colors, expands on what Perkins leaves untold in her short poetic stanzas and careful words. As the harshness and unfamiliarity of the winter melt away, Shanti feels the warmth of the spring and determines to make her home in a space between cultures. The book ends with a glossary of Bangla words, and an author's note about her own immigrant experience, and her framing of code switching and biculturalism as a gift and a superpower. VERDICT This book can serve as either a validating mirror or an illuminating window. A warm read-aloud, it is a must-purchase for all picture book collections.-Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA

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