Saffron Ice Cream

Starred review from April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2- A young girl enjoys her first visit to the beach at Coney Island while remembering her past family outings in Iran. Trips to the Caspian Sea entailed adventurous car drives listening to Persian music, saffron ice cream, and her best friend Azadeh. Now, in Brooklyn, her family takes the subway filled with "all sorts of people" and music, but there is no Azadeh. Bright oil-and-acrylic paints on handmade paper gives texture and delightful energy to the presentation, adding to the joyous, celebratory excitement of a first visit to a new place. The voice of young Rashin is infectious with curiosity as she wonders what it will be like on the beach in New York City and if there will be different rules. In Iran, women and men were separated by a screen while they sunbathed and played in the water. The women were able to "take off their covers and get a tan," and enjoy "a big party" while female guards made sure no men peeped through the canvas. The Iranian author/illustrator subtly teases out the differences between the two experiences. When young Rashin finds that there is no saffron ice cream on Coney Island she is disappointed, but a young girl suggests to her a new flavor, and a new friendship starts. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries, especially for summer reading and beach storytime.-Danielle Jones, Multnomah County Library, OR

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Rashin, a young Iranian girl living in Brooklyn, heads to the Coney Island beach with her family, reminiscing on similar outings she had in the past to the Caspian Sea in Iran and comparing those to the present trip.At the center of the story are two short anecdotes: One involves three little boys breaking the rules of the gender-segregated, curtain-split Iranian beach and taking a peek on the other side of the divide where women gather. The ensuing chaos is vividly described and illustrated by Kheiriyeh--with women "shouting and jumping out of the water and covering themselves with towels, newspapers and umbrellas." Order and harmony are, however, soon restored after female members of the Islamic beach guard--depicted as stern, unsmiling women in black attire--patch the holes in the fabric and allow for beach activities to resume. (Since there's been no connection made between Islam and the segregated beach, the episode may require unpacking for children unfamiliar with the practice.) The second anecdote, which inspired the title of the book, tells of Rashin's sadness in not finding saffron-flavored ice cream. Her sadness is quickly overcome after a newfound friend, Aijah, a pigtailed black girl, suggests she try a new flavor, chocolate crunch, which she readily enjoys. Lively and imaginative illustrations on two-page spreads adorn the simple premise of the book--a juxtaposition of two beach experiences, one Iranian and one American.Genuine. (Picture book. 4-8)

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