The Shape of Home

The Shape of Home

With all that’s going on in the world, it seems universal to wonder about the shape of things to come. And elementary school kids are no different, especially if they’re heading to a NEW school in a new place, where even the shape of the letters in books and signs are different! Rashin Kheiriyeh brings her inimitably playful spirit to this theme in a story starring her school-age self, Rashin, starting school for the first time in America. It’s just not in Rashin’s nature to be too anxious about new experiences. So even though she’s a little disappointed that she won’t get to ride on a “lovely yellow school bus” as TV had led her to believe, she’s still more excited to notice things on her walk with her mother, and remember what that first day of school was like in Iran, not long ago. Better yet, Rashin’s new teacher is one of those extraordinary, creative people who introduces a classroom full of kids from all over the world (either directly or in previous generations) to each other. Just by asking, “What’s the shape of the place your family came from?” she gets the kids imagining a seahorse shaped like Japan, a boot shaped like Italy, and, of course, a cat shaped like Iran. Here’s a book that not only brings joy to the experience of starting school (whether as an immigrant or not!); it’s also a fantastic and fun introduction to the shapes a place can make on a map or globe. And the way to shape the feeling of a classroom as well.