Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Philadelphia, PA : Running Press Kids, 2020.
Description
"A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins. A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. The folktale depicted in this book was a part of author Thrity Umrigar's Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India, but resonates for children of all backgrounds, especially those coming to a new homeland" --Amazon.com.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
A young girl immigrates to a new country in this beautiful picture-book from Indian-American author Thrity Umrigar and Vietnamese illustrator Khoa Le, and finds herself lost in a world of loneliness. Missing her friends and family back home, she keeps to herself, until the aunt with whom she is
Sugar in Milk is an astonishingly beautiful book, pairing a poignant, thought-provoking story from Umrigar with simply gorgeous illustrations from Le. I have read a great many stories for children about immigration, almost all of them focusing upon the difficulties of the immigrant experience - the hardship of the journey itself, the challenges of living in a foreign culture, the potential danger of intolerance and hostility from the native population. Many of these stories seek to build sympathy in the child reader/listener, for the immigrants amongst us, and they argue for tolerance toward the newcome stranger. Whilst in general sympathy with this literary/social project, I have often felt that we would also benefit from children's books that discuss the larger issue - why people immigrate, why this sometimes creates problems - in a non-emotional way, presenting the pros and cons of immigration as a whole, and avoiding the suggestion (all too often seen in children's books with this theme), that anyone who doesn't believe in open borders, and who thinks there ought to be some sort of limitation imposed upon immigration, is somehow xenophobic or problematic. We would also benefit from stories that explore, not just what the new country owes to her immigrants, but what those immigrants owe to their new country.
I do not think that I have encountered a children's book about immigrants before, that so perfectly explores this latter idea, than Sugar in Milk. The Parsi legend related to the girl by her aunt demonstrates not just that immigrants have something to contribute to their new country, but that what they contribute needs to improve that country. If the host country provides the milk - safety from persecution (as in the inset story), or economic opportunity - then the newcomer should provide the sugar. The ending of the book shows this idea in action, depicting the girl opening up to her new surroundings, and making friends. The implication seems to be that her newfound positive attitude will lead to better things. While definitely not a believer that positive attitude can address all problems - prejudice is a real thing, and can sometimes manifest itself in concrete and destructive ways, regardless of the outlook of the victim - I do think that it is a better starting point, than a fear of and a refusal to engage with the new culture in which newcome immigrants find themselves.
This is a lovely book, and I enjoyed almost everything about it, from the thoughtful, emotionally resonant framing story about the girl, to the idea of folklore as something that can give meaning to our lives, and be used to understand our present circumstances. I simply adored Khoa Le's artwork, loving the gorgeously decorative endpapers, the beautifully expressive interior scenes, the elegantly stylized figures, and the use of color and light throughout. The modern-day setting appears to be New York City, judging by the buildings depicted, and the final scenes in Central Park, which I found appealing. The illustrations here really worked with the text, and I appreciated how the inset story was made visually distinct from the framing story, through the use of decorative borders. I have encountered Khao Le's work before, both in her own books - The Cloud Princess, Sun and Moon Sisters - as well as in her illustrations for Kao Kalia Yang's The Most Beautiful Thing, but I think this may be the most beautiful book she has yet produced, at least of the titles I have myself seen. The richness of these illustrations is astonishing!
Given all of these undeniable virtues, this might have been one of my rare five-star book reviews, had it not been for one thing: namely, the lack of any afterword explaining the history behind the inset legend. This is an omission I find to be a great shame, as most American children have no idea who the Parsis are, why their ancestors had to flee Persia, and what Zoroastrianism is. Without that knowledge, the story told by the aunt here might be perceived as just a fairy-tale, rather than as something that springs from human history. The non-fiction story behind this legend - Zoroastrianism was the native religion of ancient Persia, whose adherents were persecuted and slaughtered by Arab Muslims during the 7th-century Arab conquest of that land. Rather than convert, some believers fled eastward from Persia, finding refuge in India, and eventually becoming the modern Indian ethnic group known as the Parsis - is every bit as fascinating as the legend itself, and while I can understand not incorporating it into the main narrative, the absence of any explanatory note is a real missed opportunity. Leaving that critique aside, this is one I would recommend to any picture-book reader looking for stories about immigration, and how to approach new cultures, as well as to those who appreciate gorgeous illustration.
Addendum: Those seeking a more traditional retelling of the Parsi folktale related here by the aunt, should seek out Mary Joslin's collection, The Lion Classic Wisdom Stories, in which the tale appears, under the title "A Bowl of Milk: A Parsi Tale, from Persia and India."
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living shares an old legend with her. In this tale, a group of people must flee ancient Persia, eventually finding themselves in India. Here, the local king at first refuses to allow them to stay, communicating with these foreigners who do not speak his language by showing them a cup filled to the brim with milk, symbolizing the idea that there is room for no more. The clever Persian leader adds some sugar to the cup, stirring it carefully to avoid any overflow, and handing it back to the king, thereby symbolizing that his group will live in peace with the people already in India, and that they will sweeten the life there with their presence. Convinced, the king allows the Persians to stay, and the story ends happily. The young girl, listening to this tale, sees the land to which she herself has come in a new light, and her changed attitude helps her to find friends and happiness in this new place...Sugar in Milk is an astonishingly beautiful book, pairing a poignant, thought-provoking story from Umrigar with simply gorgeous illustrations from Le. I have read a great many stories for children about immigration, almost all of them focusing upon the difficulties of the immigrant experience - the hardship of the journey itself, the challenges of living in a foreign culture, the potential danger of intolerance and hostility from the native population. Many of these stories seek to build sympathy in the child reader/listener, for the immigrants amongst us, and they argue for tolerance toward the newcome stranger. Whilst in general sympathy with this literary/social project, I have often felt that we would also benefit from children's books that discuss the larger issue - why people immigrate, why this sometimes creates problems - in a non-emotional way, presenting the pros and cons of immigration as a whole, and avoiding the suggestion (all too often seen in children's books with this theme), that anyone who doesn't believe in open borders, and who thinks there ought to be some sort of limitation imposed upon immigration, is somehow xenophobic or problematic. We would also benefit from stories that explore, not just what the new country owes to her immigrants, but what those immigrants owe to their new country.
I do not think that I have encountered a children's book about immigrants before, that so perfectly explores this latter idea, than Sugar in Milk. The Parsi legend related to the girl by her aunt demonstrates not just that immigrants have something to contribute to their new country, but that what they contribute needs to improve that country. If the host country provides the milk - safety from persecution (as in the inset story), or economic opportunity - then the newcomer should provide the sugar. The ending of the book shows this idea in action, depicting the girl opening up to her new surroundings, and making friends. The implication seems to be that her newfound positive attitude will lead to better things. While definitely not a believer that positive attitude can address all problems - prejudice is a real thing, and can sometimes manifest itself in concrete and destructive ways, regardless of the outlook of the victim - I do think that it is a better starting point, than a fear of and a refusal to engage with the new culture in which newcome immigrants find themselves.
This is a lovely book, and I enjoyed almost everything about it, from the thoughtful, emotionally resonant framing story about the girl, to the idea of folklore as something that can give meaning to our lives, and be used to understand our present circumstances. I simply adored Khoa Le's artwork, loving the gorgeously decorative endpapers, the beautifully expressive interior scenes, the elegantly stylized figures, and the use of color and light throughout. The modern-day setting appears to be New York City, judging by the buildings depicted, and the final scenes in Central Park, which I found appealing. The illustrations here really worked with the text, and I appreciated how the inset story was made visually distinct from the framing story, through the use of decorative borders. I have encountered Khao Le's work before, both in her own books - The Cloud Princess, Sun and Moon Sisters - as well as in her illustrations for Kao Kalia Yang's The Most Beautiful Thing, but I think this may be the most beautiful book she has yet produced, at least of the titles I have myself seen. The richness of these illustrations is astonishing!
Given all of these undeniable virtues, this might have been one of my rare five-star book reviews, had it not been for one thing: namely, the lack of any afterword explaining the history behind the inset legend. This is an omission I find to be a great shame, as most American children have no idea who the Parsis are, why their ancestors had to flee Persia, and what Zoroastrianism is. Without that knowledge, the story told by the aunt here might be perceived as just a fairy-tale, rather than as something that springs from human history. The non-fiction story behind this legend - Zoroastrianism was the native religion of ancient Persia, whose adherents were persecuted and slaughtered by Arab Muslims during the 7th-century Arab conquest of that land. Rather than convert, some believers fled eastward from Persia, finding refuge in India, and eventually becoming the modern Indian ethnic group known as the Parsis - is every bit as fascinating as the legend itself, and while I can understand not incorporating it into the main narrative, the absence of any explanatory note is a real missed opportunity. Leaving that critique aside, this is one I would recommend to any picture-book reader looking for stories about immigration, and how to approach new cultures, as well as to those who appreciate gorgeous illustration.
Addendum: Those seeking a more traditional retelling of the Parsi folktale related here by the aunt, should seek out Mary Joslin's collection, The Lion Classic Wisdom Stories, in which the tale appears, under the title "A Bowl of Milk: A Parsi Tale, from Persia and India."
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Awards
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Elementary — 2024)
Ohioana Book Award (Finalist — Juvenile Literature — 2021)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2023)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
Language
Original publication date
2020
ISBN
0762495197 / 9780762495191