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Mystery Bottle
CCBC Review:
When a Brooklyn boy receives a bottle in the mail, it sends him on an imaginary journey to visit his grandfather in Iran. The opened bottle emits a powerful wind that sweeps the boy across the ocean, over the mountains, and “through the city where my father was born […] into the arms of my Baba Bozorg.” There he shares tea and conversation with his grandfather, who tells the boy that he can return anytime he wants to visit. “Just open the bottle, and the wind will bring you to me.” A final note and the jacket flap copy describe how the author’s husband left Iran in 1978, a month before the Iranian revolution began. Years later, his father sent a package to his seven-year-old grandson in Brooklyn. Whimsical illustrations effectively use collage and map backgrounds to track the boy’s journey to his distant relative. Highly Commended, 2007 Charlotte Zolotow Award ©2006 Cooperative Children's Book CenterIllustrated by Kristen Balouch
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Asian Americans
Grandfathers
Imagination/Imaginary Play
Iranians and Iranian Americans
Diversity subjects:
Asian
Middle East
On CCBC Booklist:
Charlotte Zolotow Award (for Outstanding Writing in Picture Books)
Publisher:
Hyperion
Publish Year: 2006
Pages: 32
ISBN: 078680999X
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Balouch