Jashar Awan – författare

Four animals make their way to the lake, hoping they’ll be lucky enough to catch some fish for dinner. To their dismay they arrive at the pier at the same time and each one worries that the others will wreck their day—the stork thinks he’s got bad luck now that the black cat has crossed his path, the cat worries that the raccoon will steal all his fish, the raccoon fears getting too close to the frog and his warts, and the frog hopes the stork doesn’t deliver any babies on the already too-crowded pier. But as this gentle, funny and thoroughly satisfying picture book makes clear, it’s a mistake to judge others too quickly.

Andy is a picky anteater. He loves markers (but only red markers), toys (but only trucks) and music (but only his favourite song). He loves eating ants—in fact, they’re the only thing he’ll eat. Ants for breakfast, lunch and dinner; ants for every day of the week. Why bother with anything else?When he goes to his best friend Sam Sloth’s house for a sleepover, Andy is faced with disaster. Sam’s family isn’t playing Andy’s favourite song in the car. Sam has no trucks to play with—only spaceships. And most devastating of all, they’re having termites for dinner. But as the night goes on, Andy learns that different doesn’t necessarily mean bad.Jashar Awan’s latest picture book is an accomplished and humorous celebration of curiosity and of embracing new experiences.

A young girl takes a walk in the forest with her grandfather and observes the animals, plants, growth and marks of the seasons—a walk that parallels the journey her family took to put down roots and that shaped her life. Reflecting on the present, she looks to the future and the ways that she, too, will offer strength and support to generations that follow.Jashar Awan’s spare, lyrical text is given magnificent expression in Rahele Jomepour Bell’s stunning images of nature. Where I Grew is a nuanced and lovely picture book that honours the sacrifices and strengths of people who journey to new lands and to the beautiful and enduring homes that they create.

Two starred reviews! From Caldecott Honor– and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor–winning author-illustrator Jashar Awan comes a hilarious and “confidence-boosting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) picture book about the perseverance and positive self-talk needed to learn to tie your shoelaces!This big kid is wearing his first pair of big-kid shoes, the kind with laces! Even though they’re a little on the roomy side—shoes to grow into, of course—he knows he can take care of them. Except they keep falling off! Not to worry, he’ll just tie them up again, because he knows how to tie those loops! But wait a second, where did that darn shoe go? Nothing is ever truly easy when you’re just starting something new; but, just like with any stage in childhood, whether it’s making your first steps, or going down the really big slide, with persistence, doing anything scary or overwhelming quickly becomes a piece of cake! And before you know it, you’re a BIG KID!