When the people at Yali Books asked if I’d be interested in reading their latest book for review, I jumped at the chance.
Yali Books published books are popular in our home. I think it’s because the colors in the illustrations are so vivid. Or maybe because they’re about a culture that we haven’t experienced first hand.
When they let me know that the latest book includes a soccer loving girl, I thought about how both of my kids have taken a stronger interest in soccer after our summer in Germany during the World Cup and I knew we had to read it.
This book was sent to me for review purposes. All thoughts are my own.
About Mina vs. The Monsoon
Mina is a soccer player who can’t go out to play because of all of the rain. Her mother didn’t seem to care. Her thoughts – if you can’t play outside, enjoy the inside.
However, Mina did not want to enjoy the inside. With her choices limited, though, she finds time to do other things. She starts off complaining about her mom, then playing instruments in time with the pitter patter of the raindrops, and learning why the rain is so important.
Just as she’s beginning to accept her fate, she finds out something she never knew about her mother. What does she discover? How does it change her opinions of her mom? Will the rain ever stop?
My review of Mina vs. The Monsoon
As expected, my kids – ages 6 and 7 – really loved the colors and the story about soccer. Since we were in the middle of experience tropical storm warnings after tropical storm warning in the early fall, they could easily commiserate with Mina.
What was unexpected was how it affected my daughter. She really listened and when Mina was up and dancing, my little girl danced, too. While our own culture is not South Asian, I loved the connections my daughter was able to make. The relatable drew my kids in, which helped them learn more things about Indian culture.
Throughout the story, they asked me what words meant, so I loved the glossary in the back. Sometimes they would gather the meaning from context clues and enjoyed trying to guess to see if they were right.
There is also more information, for parents, about the importance of soccer to the girls in the communities in Northern India.
I recommend this to any child who is interested in India, soccer, and has times where what their parents want for them doesn’t seem to match what they think they want for themselves.
You can purchase Mina vs. The Monsoon on Amazon.
Details about Mina vs. The Monsoon
- Written by Rukhsanna Guidroz and illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta.
- Published by Yali Books.
- Geared for kids ages kindergarten to second grade, but I think it would be good for kids in all elementary school grades.
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