Bringing Asha Home
By Uma Krishnaswami
Lee & Low Books, 2006

Review by Pooja Makhijani
From Kahani Winter 2007

A Special Bond
On the Hindu holiday of Rakhi, “sisters tie shiny bracelets on the wrists of their brothers.” Arun wishes he had a sister with whom to celebrate. His best friend Michael has a sister; “I just got one,” he tells Arun, “she cries all the time.” But Arun’s wish may soon come true—his parents are going to adopt a baby girl named Asha from India. Writer Uma Krishnaswami pairs up with illustrator Jamel Akib in Bringing Asha Home (Lee & Low Books, 2006), an honest and moving book about one family’s journey to complete their family. Akib’s warm illustrations and Krishnaswami’s beautiful story brought a (happy) tear to this reviewer’s eye.