Review - Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure

Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure
by Naomi C. Rose
illustrated by Naomi C. Rose
Date: 2011
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

Tashi loves listening to Popola, her grandpa, sing Tibetan chants to the click, click of his prayer beads. She also loves hearing Popola's stories about the village in Tibet where he grew up. But recently Popola has been sick, and Tashi is worried.

One of the stories Tashi remembers told how people in Popola's village use flowers to help themselves recover from illnesses. Will this healing tradition work in the United States, so far from Popola's village? Determined to help Popola get better, Tashi recruits family, friends, and neighbors in a grand effort to find out.

Lyrically told and illustrated with impressionistic paintings, Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure shines a tender light on the universal bond between grandchild and grandparent. Readers of all ages are sure to be inspired by the gentle power of this story and its spirit of compassion and community.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The description pretty much sums up this book. It's a charming story, told in free verse, about a little girl's love for her grandfather, illustrated in vivid colour by the author. Even as an adult, I know very little about Tibetan culture. This book highlights one aspect of that culture in a way that's easy for kids (and adults) to grasp. The message was sweet without being sappy, and the pictures were pleasant to look at. I think I would have enjoyed this book when I was a child.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lee & Low Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 5/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 4 out of 5