Leila in Saffron

Picture book, 32 pages. Published by Salaam Reads in 2019.

Recap & Review

After her Naani's gentle encouragement, Leila finds reasons to be proud of herself by looking for things around her that make up her unique identity. She smiles like her aunt, the curly ink of Mom and Dad's Arabic books is fascinating and Naani's leather trunk full of silk scarves shimmer - especially the saffron-colored one!

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PARENTS' SIMPLICITY CREDO
Love people and admire our differences

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Reading Suggestion

Oh my gosh - the colors and lines in this picture book are bewitching! I would read this book to my Little Guy and Noodle with either a play or craft activity ready to go! 

• We could play dress-up with lots of simple fabrics or scarves which is an excellent sensory opportunity for the little ones.
• We could also bring out the finger paint and large pieces of paper or cardboard - older kiddos would do well with tempera paint since they would be able to keep it out of their mouths....

And while we were playing or painting we could talk about the one thing at home which reminds them most of Mom or Dad - something which might make them feel safe or comforted or part of the family.

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Guidroz and Mirtalipova

Guidroz, writer and educator, currently lives in Hawaii. Her novel, Samira Surfs, is a 2022 South Asia Book Awards Highly Recommended for middle readers.

Mirtalipova is a self-taught illustrator with a mile-long list of corporate clients and children's book authors. Her work has been shown in galleries since 2009 and you can find her work at Etsy or Folklore Illustrations & Storytelling.

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