Reviews

A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman

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appaloosa05's review

Beautifully illustrated story that presents a strong, capable character who uses her limited resources to solve a problem.

Aria returns to school after an injury and struggles to sit comfortably on the floor with her new helper-leg. Discouraged, she tells her mother that she doesn't want to go to school anymore - but her mother encourages her to find another solution. Aria is determined to build a bench to use in class, even though her classmates say girls can't build benches. When they see Aria's beautiful bench and all the hard work she put into it, they want to build new furniture for the whole classroom. I thought this was a touching story about hope, resilience, and doing anything you set your mind to!

katiegrrrl's review

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5.0

Set in Afghanistan, a young girl who has lost a leg because of a land mine (not outright stated in the story but land mines mentioned in the end pages) and whose family has been displaced and resettled. She is attending a girls school with no desk or chairs. It is hard for her to sit on the floor because of her “helper leg”, so she decides to build a bench out of found wood.

2022 YMA Schneider Family Book Award honor book for young children

mrs_bookdragon's review

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5.0

I love books where kids take charge! Aria has a new prosthetic limb and is navigating her world with it. As she arrives at school, she notices that the only place for her to sit, is on the floor. She can't get comfortable and is so sore. Plus, she can't even get up or down by herself. So, she solves her problem-she builds herself a bench. The community all rallies around her, the girls at the school help, and the bench is made. I loved the message of perseverance and hope. Thank you Pajama Press!

beths0103's review

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5.0

A heartwarming story about a young girl who struggles at school sitting on the floor every day due to her disability so she decides a bench for herself.

scoobygirl93's review

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4.0

Read aloud to River

sunflowerjess's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This picture book gently and empathetically introduces readers to Aria, a young girl who lost her leg due to a land mine injury. This piece of the author's note broke my heart - "...in the first grade, I attended a special presentation that taught us how to distinguish between land mines and toys. One type of land mine they showed us was brightly colored and looked like a butterfly. It was even called a 'butterfly mine.' Its design has a reputation for being particularly attractive to curious children." WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE THAT THIS DESIGN EXISTS. And here in the U.S., shooting drills are now being conducted in daycares. The violence in this world is sickening.

missprint_'s review

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3.0

I can see why this won a Schneider honor and why it was nominated for Rise but I didn’t like it. It’s personally triggering but also I have a lot of reservations about the illustrator not being from Afghanistan like the author or Muslim or even BIPOC.

kindredbooks's review

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hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

A Sky-Blue Bench is an inspiring story about determination and overcoming gender stereotypes.

In this story, Aria is a young girl in Afghanistan who is returning to school for the first time since an accident. Due to the accident, Aria uses a prosthetic leg and this becomes a bit of a problem as the school does not have any chairs. All the wooden furniture had been taken to be burned as wood to keep the people warm. Aria thinks of a solution and wants to build a bench for herself at school and a few of her classmates quickly tell her that that isn't something a girl can do. Aria is determined to prove these naysayers wrong and with the help of her family, a local carpenter and her friends, Aria build a beautiful sky-blue bench for school.

This was a wonderful picture book that introduces some of the realities that continue to exist around the world today. Access to education for girls and the resources available are all things that continue to be a challenge for many. Through this story, young readers will discover the determination and resilience of girls like Aria and be inspired.