Book Description
for My Dadima Wears a Sari by Kashmira Sheth and Yoshiko Jaeggi
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Rupa’s grandma never wears pants or dresses or skirts. She wears a sari every day. “Your saris are beautiful, Dadima . . . but don’t you get tired of wearing them?” Dadima explains many things she can do with her sari: the fabric can be a fan if it’s hot, or an umbrella if it starts to rain; she can carry shells she collects on the beach; and Rupa and her little sister, Neha, can play hide-and-seek in its folds. Her saris also tell stories: “I wore this sari on the plan when I came from India to America . . . this is my wedding sari.” The warm relationship between two girls and their grandmother is at the heart of Kashmira Sheth’s lyrical story grounded in details full of child appeal. The two little girls may not yet fully understand the cultural heritage and family history their Dadima is sharing, but they do fully appreciate the delight of dressing up in Dadima’s saris, and the love with which both hers saris and her stories are shared. (Ages 4–8)
CCBC Choices 2008. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2008. Used with permission.