The Katha Chest

by Radhiah Chowdhury, Lavanya Naidu (Illustrator)

Overview

Reminiscent of Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow’s Mommy’s Khimar, this beautifully woven tale about the bonds of love, culture, and memory follows a young girl learning about her family history through her grandmother’s katha chest.

Asiya loves to visit Nanu’s house where she can rummage through Nanu’s katha chest filled with quilts. There are stories in each of the quilts that her Nanu has collected through the years, all about the bold and brave women in Asiya’s family. Among all of the games and exciting things at Nanu’s house, Asiya thinks these hidden histories are the grandest treasure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665903912
Publisher:	Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	03/01/2022
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD1080L (what's this?)
File size:	51 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Radhiah Chowdhury grew up at the mercy of a highly enthusiastic children’s librarian. She has been an avid lover of books ever since and is passionate about stories that reflect all the magnificent different facets and experiences of a community and has been an advocate for representative publishing in her work as both an editor and an author. She’s the author of picture books Jumble and Katha Chest. Radhiah now lives in Sydney, Australia.

Lavanya Naidu is an animator, designer, and award-winning children’s book illustrator, born and raised in Kolkata, India. Her work has most recently been featured at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content as a selection for their Digital Gallery 2020. Lavanya now lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2021

PreS-Gr 2—Asiya knows that inside her nanu's house, there is a treasure chest. It is the katha chest, filled with quilts her Nanu made out of old saris. As Asiya examines each quilt, she thinks of the women the saris once belonged to and the stories that define their unique strengths. While Asiya does not narrate, the text has a simplicity evocative of childhood, focusing primarily on her sensory exploration of the katha quilts. After Asiya introduces each quilt, along with a brief reference to the woman who wore the sari, the following page spread conveys the woman's story in four highly detailed wordless panels. For example, the panels show a woman wearing the sari; holding her three worried children close to her pregnant belly as her husband strides away bearing the flag of Bangladesh; cradling her newborn and older children within her sari, while an image above shows shadowy figures firing guns; and the husband returned to his smiling family, holding the youngest child and wearing a medal. Many of the panels portray serious issues such as war and death. Most young readers will need the guidance of an adult, and for that reason the book may be best suited to one-on-one reading. The volume of significant visual details, many specific to Bangladeshi culture, mean this book can be explored at multiple levels. Educators can simply enjoy a vibrant story about family, or use the book to discuss the impact of trauma and the power of resilience. VERDICT This engaging and colorful celebration of the legacy of strength shared by women is recommended for general purchase.—Elizabeth Lovsin, Deerfield P. L., IL

School Library Journal

2022-01-26
Brown-skinned, dark-haired Asiya loves her nanu’s (grandmother’s) katha chest and the katha quilts they hold.

The light quilts are made of stitched-together layers of old saris that her nanu, her mother, and her khalas (aunts) don’t wear anymore. Asiya loves hearing the wonderful family stories these heirloom quilts tell; illustrations inspired by Pattachitra and Bengali folk art dramatize the stories in wordless panels on double-page spreads. They recall important times, happy as well as difficult, when the saris were worn by bold women in Asiya’s family. The artwork throughout is vibrant and colorful, with gorgeously patterned quilts, and adds a deeper historical layer to the text. Asiya’s family members have dark hair and skin tones in various shades of brown. As they come together to pore over the quilts, drink tea, and tell family stories, they wear clothing typical of people in the Bengal and Bangladesh regions of India, including headscarves. Some of the vernacular from those regions is used in the text, the words neither italicized nor explained, which may be confusing to some readers but doesn’t other Bengali and Bangladeshi people. In brief notes at the end, Chowdhury and Naidu share about the importance of saris and katha quilts in their lives. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This warm picture book of familial love and history brings alive a meaningful Bangladeshi tradition. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews