The Old Woman and the Red Pumpkin, by Betsy Bang, is the latest in A’s slightly obsessive book reading streak. It’s a charming Bengali folk tale about a clever old woman who tricks three large carnivores into sparing her life. We read it twice today, and the way that A likes to do it is to “read” lines of it to me (she’s memorized it) — we trade off back and forth. There’s a part where the old woman sings and I made up a little tune and it really knocks me out that A sings it just as I do. She’s got a good ear!

I’ve read this book about 8 times in about half as many days. At first, I didn’t enjoy reading it because it has a lot of repetition (probably why A loves it so much). But after a few readings, it started to really grow on me. Then, having virtually memorized the text, I was able to appreciate the many intricate details in the illustrations. They are beautiful and quirky, possessing an imaginative and playful energy.

All in all, I’d recommend checking this one out of the library if you have a pre-schooler and if you ‘d like to increase the diversity of your kids’ literature. See if you can get a hold of the edition that is illustrated by Molly Garret Bang, the author’s daughter. The illustrations are really clever (the image above is the cover of the edition to which I am referring).

As for grown up books, I’m now reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, author of NYT Bestseller The Kite Runner. Both novels take place in Afghanistan and are well written, gripping stories that also introduce a rich and diverse view into Afghan culture and customs.