Babajoon's Treasure

by Farnaz Esnaashari, Nabi H. Ali (Illustrator)

Overview

From the creator of Nickelodeon’s hit series Shimmer and Shine comes a sweet and imaginative picture book about a little girl who spends the day with her grandfather and learns more about who he is.

Every summer, Miriam spends a week at her Babajoon and Mamanjoon’s house. It’s her favorite part of summer because every day with her grandparents is an adventure. But when coins fall out of Babajoon’s pocket as he’s getting ice cream, Miriam finds one coin that doesn’t look like the rest—a gold one unlike Miriam has ever seen before.

Suddenly, she starts to notice certain things about her Babajoon. He can talk to parrots. He speaks with codewords. He trades crystal treasures with his friends. Could her Babajoon be...a pirate?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665901888
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	03/28/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	639,730
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Farnaz Esnaashari is the award-winning creator of Nickelodeon’s Shimmer and Shine and worked as a post-production supervisor on Go, Diego, Go! and Dora the Explorer. Farnaz is inspired by her Iranian American upbringing and loves stories with strong female heroes and vibrant multiculturalism. As a mother of two young kids, Farnaz sees the importance of empowering children with an understanding of resilience. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Nabi H. Ali is a Tamil American illustrator who enjoys creating diverse works that showcase an array of cultures and peoples. His interest in illustrative works started when he realized he could help create representation in the arts and in media for minorities, and he is very passionate about working with characters that he would have liked to see when he was a kid. His favorite quality in art is experimenting with color and what the right colors can do to make a piece of art magical. His hobbies include drawing (of course), doll collecting, reading, learning about South Asian mythology and folklore, and researching history.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2023

This fanciful tale introduces a child’s view of her Iranian grandfather, and her own identity, through the lens of imagination. Miriam looks forward to her summer visit with Babajoon and Mamanjoon as “a magical adventure,” anticipating their beloved rituals: dining at the sofreh in their tea shop’s garden, and Babajoon and Miriam heading out “for a super special tasty treat.” When a gold coin unlike any she’s seen falls out of Babajoon’s pocket, it ignites Miriam’s sense of invention, and when he sings with a parrot, she draws a conclusion: “I can’t believe my parents never told me... My Babajoon is a... PIRATE!” His subsequent actions come under close scrutiny until a visit to a new shop, where her grandfather speaks Farsi with a friend and slowly reveals the true magic of their shared heritage. Esnaashari’s text and dialogue telling briskly propel the light story, and Ali’s action-oriented digital illustrations use jewel-toned hues to create Miriam’s imagined storyscapes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

2022-12-14
Miriam suspects that Babajoon has a secret life.

Every summer, Miriam spends a week of “magical adventure” at Babajoon and Mamanjoon’s home. This year, after a picnic prepared by Mamanjoon, Babajoon takes Miriam out for a special treat. As Miriam’s grandfather is paying, Miriam notices a mysterious gold coin fall from his pocket. Then, as they eat their rocket pops, Babajoon begins singing a beautiful song to the birds. Miriam suddenly realizes…he must be a pirate! Miriam’s suspicion is seemingly confirmed when Babajoon takes Miriam to his friend’s store and speaks to him in a language that Miriam does not recognize. Concluding that they are speaking in a “pirate language,” Miriam becomes even more convinced that Babajoon has a hidden past. But when Miriam confronts Babajoon, the truth he tells the child about their Iranian ancestry feels just as special as the one that Miriam imagined. Miriam’s strong bond with Babajoon and earnest questions make for a lovable, relatable protagonist, while Ali’s art shimmers as the child’s vivid imagination comes to life. However, while the resolution of the protagonist’s confusion is charming, the idea that Miriam would not know Babajoon’s country of origin or at least recognize the sound of his mother tongue feels unlikely, especially given their closeness. Still, the story’s humor and heart manage to shine through this inconsistency. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A heartfelt celebration of the magic of ancestry. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews