Memory Garden

by Zohreh Ghahremani, Susie Ghahremani (Illustrator)

Overview

A lively afternoon together in Nana’s garden is full of laughter, discovery, and connection. In lyrical text that blends past and present, Memory Garden takes us to the places we leave behind but never forget.

Written and illustrated by a loving mother daughter duo, the nostalgic text and vibrant illustrations invite us to enjoy the beauty of Iranian gardens – and culture - in an adventure that will resonate with readers of all backgrounds.

Godwin Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250843036
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	02/27/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	460,595
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Zohreh Ghahremani is a former children's dentist and professor, award-winning adult fiction author, and renowned voice of the Iranian diaspora who has been featured in media internationally. Her debut novel, Sky of Red Poppies, was a KPBS One Book and her sophomore novel, The Moon Daughter, won a Writer’s Digest Book Award for Best Literary Fiction in 2019. Born in Torbat, Iran, she now lives in Southern California. Memory Garden is her first picture book.

zoeghahremani.com

Susie Ghahremani is an award-winning illustrator whose work is exhibited and sold internationally. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she is the author-illustrator of STACK THE CATS and BALANCE THE BIRDS. Susie drinks tea while working with her paints, and often worries about mixing up the two.

Editorial Reviews

01/22/2024

A mother-daughter team of Iranian descent contemplate memory in this intergenerational tale. An overall-clad, red-capped protagonist with two long braids loves helping in Nana’s garden, but admits that “what I love even more are the stories she tells me about a garden she knows far away,” an unspecified place that Nana calls “back home.” There, tall cypress trees stood like soldiers, flower beds were filled with fragrant blooms, and harvesting fruit was a beloved ritual. Memories unfurl as Nana, in a straw hat and green shirt, flashes back to her younger self, only obscurely referencing history (about the garden, “We had to leave it”) to focus on joyful sensate reminiscences. Vibrant illustrations in a green-gold palette—painted in gouache on vellum—include Persian motifs. Author and illustrator notes conclude. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

" . . .This tale deftly invokes the delight of growing something new while preserving old memories and traditions."—Kirkus

"This sweet immigration story straddles space and time as the pair’s surroundings bring back specific, vivid memories of the garden Nana once knew in Iran."—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"In this gentle tale, stories are like plants that grow in the girl’s imagination, taking root to bloom into cultural pride and intergenerational connection."—Horn Book Magazine

"Children and adults will thoroughly enjoy this vivid memoir that weaves past and present in a timeless celebration of family and culture. A recommended, essential purchase." —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2024

K-Gr 2—The memoir of a young girl and her time spent in her garden with her grandmother. Nana shares stories of the garden she remembers from her home country when she was her granddaughter's age. Nana describes the fragrance of the flowers; they dig in the dirt, feeling the soil that nurtures the plants. Nana explains the use of water from the thundering stream near their home to water the plants, and that while they are enjoying apples for a snack, back in her home country, they had cherries, apricots, and pomegranates. Nana hopes that the memories she makes with her granddaughter while they are planting together will stay with her forever. The illustrations perfectly match the story as it is being told. During flashbacks, Ghahremani uses other colors as background to differentiate the past from the present. All the illustrations are hand-painted gouache on vellum. Curves throughout the drawings provide a feeling of dynamism within the gardens; elements of expressionism not only show movement but also give a dreamy stamp to the memories. The author's note addresses how Ghahremani used the five senses as a way to bring to life her family's Persian background. The illustrator's note by the author's daughter further explains how she used Persian culture in her choices of the vibrant colors and images she created. VERDICT Children and adults will thoroughly enjoy this vivid memoir that weaves past and present in a timeless celebration of family and culture. A recommended, essential purchase.—Davia Schmidt

School Library Journal

2023-12-16
An immigrant grandmother and her grandchild sow family history alongside newly planted flowers.

Nana and the young narrator are planting a new crop of geraniums. The protagonist loves packing dirt with the yellow shovel, but nothing’s better than hearing Nana tell stories of her childhood garden “back home.” As the narrator waters and helps plant new blooms, Nana describes cypress trees that looked like soldiers, flowers that smelled like perfume, a hedgehog that, after being thrown into the water by Nana’s friend, turned out to be a good swimmer, and the family gardener, who gave her rides in a wheelbarrow. Nana pensively reminisces about her family samovar, prompting the protagonist to ask what happened to Nana’s garden. Cryptically, Nana replies, “We had to leave it…When we moved to this country, it was time to plant a whole new garden.” Though the author and illustrator both discuss their Persian heritage in the backmatter, the narrative itself never states where Nana is from or why she can’t return; children may be left confused. Still, this tale deftly invokes the delight of growing something new while preserving old memories and traditions. Amber-toned illustrations and lyrical, child-friendly text paint a poetic picture of both the present and the past. Nana and the child are tan-skinned.

Beautiful though potentially perplexing musings on immigration, family, and home. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews