The Seasons of Parastoo

Parastoo, a child whose name means “swallow bird” in Farsi, loves the swallows that live in the tree outside her window—“They are the bluest blue she’s ever seen, like a little piece of the sky.” In mixed-media paintings, Kheiriyeh (This Baby. That Baby.) shows Parastoo and her mother gazing at the birds darting and swooping outside. In the summer, the birds fly among the blooming flowers, and in the autumn, they head south. So does Parastoo’s mother, a nurse who travels to the border to care for soldiers. The swallows and Parastoo’s mom will be back in the spring, so Parastoo makes a calendar and checks the days off to help the time pass more quickly, and her grandparents think of amusements to ease the period of longing. In spreads tinged with electric hues, the wind seems to always be blowing; autumn leaves dance, the ribbon on Parastoo’s mother’s hat flies, and, as Parastoo and her grandfather work on a project, their scarves wave. In every season, the beautiful blue that Parastoo loves appears somewhere in the artwork. Waiting is difficult, but the swallows always return—and so does Parastoo’s mother, in this loving meditation on the progression of seasons and missing a loved one. Ages 3–7. (Aug.)