My Father’s House

“My father and I are explorers! Today, we explore Isfahan, his childhood home in Iran,” begins this work of intergenerational memory. Gentle, naif-style spreads visualize the duo’s climb to an ancient temple, followed by visits and a picnic with two old friends. Along the way, father and daughter pass a synagogue and later enter a small mosque at the city center, whose intricate ornamentation Yankey traces with care. When, at last, they arrive at the father’s former home, his childhood nanny and grandmother are preparing dinner. The family eats together, a meal pictured in deliciously colored close focus, then prepares for bed (“The samovar is emptied... and the pigeons are locked in their coop”). Underscoring Isfahan’s long multicultural history and recalling specific Iranian lifeways, Javaherbin ends with a reflection on traveling: “When you bring your own light,” the protagonist’s father tells her, “the world becomes your home.” An author’s note and glossary conclude. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)