School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--A young Indian girl notices that, although her mother works tirelessly to make beautiful saris, she never wears one herself. She is selling them all at the market. The girl, who narrates but is never named, enlists the help of her sister Sadaf to buy their mother one of her own saris. They break their gullak, or bank, in order to count the money they have saved from odd jobs, then sell found items and scrap in the market, help a neighbor color threads for her weaving, and finally have enough. This brief and charming tale of a loving family takes place in the village of Kaithoon, India, and the text is sprinkled with Indian words that are defined in a glossary, alongside a brief history and explanation of the famous saris created in the region. Prabhat's boldly colored and cheerful digital illustrations fill the pages, presenting a vivid picture of the family's life and work, with hundreds of details to peruse during repeated readings. VERDICT This universal story of a loving family working together to care for and support each other, and of generous children who cleverly find ways to express their love, is highly recommended.--MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY
Horn Book Review
The narrator and her sister marvel at the beautiful saris that Ammi (mother) and Abba (father) make to sell at the haat (market); an intricate and laborious art form, one sari can take months to complete. The girls decide that Ammi deserves to keep one for herself -- and when their piggybank savings don't cover the cost, they raise the rest themselves. A sweet family story about appreciation, sacrifice, and generational traditions is woven into an overview of this centuries-old regional artisanship in Northern India. The bright digital illustrations do justice to the rich colors and patterns of sari-weaving. More about "The Saris of Kaithoon" and a glossary are appended. (c) Copyright 2023. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In the Indian village of Kaithoon, a mother weaves gorgeous saris at her loom. The woman's daughter notices that even though Ammi is a talented sari maker, she never wears the saris she creates, opting instead for worn-out pairs of salwar kameez. The daughter enlists her sister, Sadaf, to find a way to buy a new sari for Ammi. The girls break open their gullak to see how much money they have inside. When they find what they've saved in their money jar isn't enough, they look for items they can sell to the scrap dealer in their village. Even after selling bottles, tin cans, and newspaper they find around the house, the sisters are still short of the funds they need. They decide to go to visit neighbor Amina Khala, who is also a sari weaver--although not as talented as Ammi--and who pays the girls to dye threads that she will use in her designs. Finally, they have enough to go to market and to buy Ammi one of her own exquisite saris. According to the author's note, the protagonists are part of a Muslim community of weavers that migrated from the Indian state of Karnataka to settle in Rajasthan in the 17th and 18th centuries. The sweet and gentle story organically integrates details about the daily lives of these skilled and rarely represented craftspeople. The cartoonlike illustrations are full of color, texture, and detail. This delightful picture book shines a spotlight on a rural, underrepresented Indian Muslim community. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Day in and day out, Ammi pours herself into the craftsmanship of beautiful saris. The intricate weaving is labor intensive, a process involving the whole family to dye and weave the fibers, and Ammi's saris are particularly colorful, attractive, and stunning--but none are for her. Her daughters believe it is finally time she owns one, and they start secretly planning. The sisters break their piggy bank and, when they don't have enough money, find alternative ways to generate the necessary income to buy their ammi the prettiest, most vibrant, and most elegant sari--one she made with her own hands! The setting--Kaithoon, a village in northern India renowned for its handmade saris--is brought vividly to life by the bold colors and patterns in the artwork, echoing the vibrant saris in almost every scene. Children will find lots to relate to in this story about sisterly teamwork that emphasizes the perennial joy of gift giving, and informative back matter includes information about saris as well as a glossary of Hindi words used in the story.
