Bringing ASHA Home

Arun really wants a little sister. His best friend, Michael, has one and even though Michael isn't that impressed by the experience, Arun thinks having a baby sister would be great. He tells Michael, "In India, where my dad was born, sisters tie shiny bracelets on the wrists of their brothers. The bracelets are called rakhi too, just like the holiday. Brothers and sisters promise to be good to each other, and everyone eats special sweets." Arun soon finds out that he will have a baby sister. Mom and Dad are adopting a baby girl, Asha, from India. But the wait and the papers and the regulations are excruciating. Arun, in the meantime, turns eight and celebrates his birthday without Asha. The family even celebrates Asha's first birthday without her. Arun makes do by fashioning the best paper airplane he's ever created for his sister and placing it on a shelf in her room. Finally, Arun tells us, "a few weeks later, on a sticky-warm Saturday, I find an envelope from India in the mailbox." It's the letter. "We help Dad get ready for his long trip. I write colorful letters--forward, backward, upside down--on the folded wings of the paper plane I've been saving for Asha. I tuck it into Dad's suitcase." "Bringing Asha Home" is a beautiful adoption story from a brother's point of view. Jamel Akib's illustrations are warm, friendly, and accessible. I hope that "Bringing Asha Home" will be read outside the adoption community, however, because it's a universal story about the hopes of a boy and his family. "Bringing Asha Home" is great read-aloud choice for children ages 4-9.

The Plot: Arun's family adopts a baby girl from India. The Good: The story is framed by the Hindu holiday Rakhi, a holiday that is about brothers and sisters. Arun wishes he had a sister so that he could celebrate Rakhi. A few months later, he finds out the family is going to adopt a little girl from India, the country where Arun's father was born. The story ends with the baby, Asha, (now about one years old) arriving just in time for Rakhi. It's a holiday I was unfamiliar with; but it's a perfect holiday to celebrate children becoming siblings, and it's also one that will be easily understood by children hearing the story. I love that this story was framed by this holiday; and I love that the pictures and text show a family that celebrates a diverse heritage. Rakhi is celebrated; during October, there is a jack-o'-lantern on a table. The pictures, as well as the text, show a biracial family. (Truth be told, I didn't pick that up until my second reading, when I noticed that Dad's country of origin was mentioned but not Mom. The Lee & Low website confirmed this. I like that it's not a "hit you over the head with it" part of the story.) This is a great story about adoption, particularly international adoption, and the long wait many families face in waiting for their adoptive child. "When you adopt a baby from one country and bring her to another, there are many governmental forms to fill out and laws to follow," Dad says. "It takes time." (I am so good. I am not making any snarky comments about international adoptions and certain celebrities.) While the actual process takes a long time, Bringing Asha Home shows a family taking the steps to welcome the baby into their hearts long before the child is brought into their home: a room is prepared, Arun makes her presents of paper airplanes, and a birthday party is held.

Wonderfully written by Uma Krishnaswami and deftly illustrated by Jamel Akib, Bringing Asha Home is a story for young readers ages 5 to 9 and set at the time of Rakhi, a Hindu holiday which is quite special for brothers and sisters. An only children, Arun greatly desires to have a sister to share Rakhi with and his parents are hoping to adopt a little girl. But first they must all struggle with getting governmental approval to have a little girl named Asha join their family from halfway around the world. Bringing Asha Home is a warm and joyous story that would grace any school or community library picturebook collection.