Yasmin in Charge
(Review of Meet Yasmin and Yasmin in Charge.) Two chapter books for newly independent readers introduce Pakistani American Yasmin. Each volume is comprised of four stories divided into several chapters each. In Meet Yasmin, Yasmin explores her neighborhood with Baba, Mami, and a map (“Yasmin the Explorer”); agonizes over what to create for an art contest (“Yasmin the Painter”); devises a unique contribution to her class collaborative building project (“Yasmin the Builder”); and turns an accidentally torn kameez into the opportunity for a fashion show with Nani (“Yasmin the Fashionista”). In Yasmin in Charge, she rises to the challenge of keeping her classmates on task (“Yasmin the Teacher”); makes a tasty dish for the family party after a rough start (“Yasmin the Chef ”); has a close encounter with the monkeys on a trip to the zoo (“Yasmin the Zookeeper”); and dons a hijab as cape to be a superhero in search of big saves but excelling at small acts of kindness (“Yasmin the Superhero”). Yasmin is irrepressible, even when briefly disappointed or overwhelmed by a challenge, in stories full of energy and humor and grounded in myriad cultural details in both the narrative and the full- color art showing racially and culturally diverse secondary characters, as well as Yasmin’s grandfather, Nana, using a wheelchair. Each of the eight stories across the two volumes have also been released as individual books for advanced beginning readers, and are available in both English and Spanish editions.
Illustrated by Hatem Aly
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Formats:
Easy Reader
Novel
Subjects:
Creativity
Families
Imagination/Imaginary Play
Muslim People
Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans
Diversity subject:
Asian
Muslim
Publishers:
Capstone, Picture Window
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 90
ISBN: 9781515842729
CCBC Location: Fiction, Faruqi