Aisha's Colors

by Nabila Adani, Nabila Adani (Illustrator)

Overview

Why can’t Aisha go on colorful, faraway vacations like her friends? A bighearted, universal story about living in the moment and seeing the beauty on your own doorstep.

Every year on vacation, Aisha and her parents take the same trip from their home in Jakarta to Grandma’s village in the countryside. This year, Aisha wants to see something different! Like the crunchy white snow her friend Jennie will explore (sort of like that white frozen treat Aisha enjoys on the road). Or the blue swimming pool that Dismas is floating in (almost as blue as the sparkling sea that Aisha can see out her window). And those tropical fish her neighbor saw at the aquarium—were they like the rainbow kites Aisha sees soaring in the sky? In both words and light, airy illustrations, first-time author Nabila Adani brings home an appreciation of the simple beauties around us—and the special warmth of family that welcomes you with open arms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536235401
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.06(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Nabila Adani received a degree in industrial product design in 2013 and later found her way into illustration. She worked briefly as a product designer in Japan and Indonesia before moving to the United States to study children’s book illustration. Among her children’s book credits are Noura’s Crescent Moon by Zainab Khan, Be a Bridge by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, and Sunny and the Birds by Wendy Meddour. Nabila Adani lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, where she enjoys illustrating and telling stories for children from around the world.

Editorial Reviews

Adani’s mixed-media illustrations are soft and muted, with few strong lines among bright, buttery colors, matching the gentle, uplifting mood of the book. . . . Adani gives readers a window into the differences between urban and rural Indonesian life—as well as a lesson in learning to appreciate everyday beauty. A familial tale of gratitude and finding wonder in the world.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2024-07-04
An Indonesian family embarks on their annual road trip from Jakarta to Grandma’s countryside village.

Aisha wants a new and exciting trip. The young narrator’s friend Jennie will be spending time in the snow (“white and crisp and crunchy”), while another pal, Dimas, will be floating under blue skies in the turquoise of a hotel pool. Stopping at a roadside stall for es campur, the family delights in the snowlike shaved ice dessert. They later look out the window at the sparkling blue ocean. But when their car breaks down, a frustrated Aisha sulks in a field, envious of the family’s neighbor Siregar, who visited an aquarium last year and saw “tropical fish of every color.” Looking up, Aisha sees the sky painted with a multitude of vibrant, fish-shaped kites and is suddenly filled with a newfound awe and joy. There are colors all around, Aisha realizes as the family arrives at Grandma’s. The youngster’s favorite is sunny yellow, like Grandma’s kebaya and the soto soup she prepares them for the evening meal. Adani’s mixed-media illustrations are soft and muted, with few strong lines among bright, buttery colors, matching the gentle, uplifting mood of the book. Illustrations of Jakarta include signs in Indonesian and other facets of daily life, while scenes at Aisha’s grandmother’s house depict traditional Javanese architecture; Adani gives readers a window into the differences between urban and rural Indonesian life—as well as a lesson in learning to appreciate everyday beauty.

A familial tale of gratitude and finding wonder in the world.(Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews