She would sing a traditional Gujarati song to welcome the rain, the kids would play in the courtyard, they’d stay home from school, the riverbeds and earth would be watered for new crops, mango season would end and plum season would begin. It was a time of gathering, family and song. The author leaves a beautiful note at the end of the story reminiscing on her times in India and the beauty of monsoon season. I know they are crucial to us and our family. Grandparents usually live with children in many Indian and Indian-American communities. This story is a tribute to grandparents and the importance of their presence in a child’s life. He then wonders if he will be doing the same when he becomes a dadaji. In this book particularly, the boy asks his dadaji if the monsoon existed in his time and if he played by the banyan tree too. Her books bind generations together through shared experience and memories. Her characters wonder if they will be doing the same things when they get older. She takes the reader back in time to reminisce on events that add to the texts richness and the older generations experiences.

I’ve noticed that throughout the three books Sheth transcends time. Cows roam the street, peacocks dance in the rain and they pick mangoes for dadima. Jaeggi is also the author of the other two books written by Sheth and I love them all.

When he and his dadaji play by the banyan tree, we see a woman praying and offering flowers at the same time. When his brother tells him he is hungry and reaches for guavas to eat, Yoeggi inserts a traditional indian bitter melon on the counter. When the boy asks his mom to play, we see her closets full of saris. The background details are also descriptive of Indian life and culture. The illustrations by Yoshiko Jaeggi are so beautifully done and culturally appropriate. He is left sulking until his dadaji (grandfather) volunteers his time. Unfortunately, his mom, dad, dadima (grandma) and older brother are busy. As the rain starts to fall, the protagonist asks everyone to play outside with him. It takes place in India on the verge of monsoon season. I just happened to stumble upon this book at the library while browsing through the picture book stacks.

The Rice Bag Hammock by Shaeeza Haniff