Title: Room In Your Heart
Author: Kunzang Choden
Illustrator: Pema Tshering
Publisher: Kitaabworld, March 27, 2018
Book Type: Fiction
Ages: 4-7
Theme: Kindness, Generosity
Opening Lines:
To the east of Thimphu and west of Trongsa, somewhere among the mountains high, lived an old woman in a little house.
A gray cat, a yellow dog and a brown speckled hen lived with her and shared her hearth.
Synopsis: (from Amazon website)
“Neypo shong gna? Is there room for me?” a wandering monk asks the old lady who lives on the hill. The question is repeated again and again as more and more visitors arrive. The kind lady welcomes them in one by one. But how will they all fit in her tiny little house?
This charming tale contains an important teaching about openness and generosity of spirit.
Activities:
- Learn more about Bhutan
- Activities to help teach kids to be generous from Meaningful Mama
Why I Like This Book:
A folktale that will delight and enlighten while opening the eyes and hearts of readers to Bhutanese life. In this tale, a charming old lady in a small one-room home offers hospitality to a monk, a messenger, a traveler and so on without even the slightest hesitation. She shares her meal with all of her guests even though it is not much “one got a single bit of turnip leaf, another a tiny piece of bone, another got a drop of soup” and the guests “savored their dinner and licked their bowls clean“. The appreciative guests wonder how the old lady could fit them all in, to which the monk answers with a wise saying which left this reader with a warm glow deep inside. The backmatter included some interesting facts about Bhutan. For instance, the GNH (Gross National Happiness) index that measures the nation’s prosperity is based on the citizens’ happiness.
The lyrical text paired with soft watercolors is a perfect combination for this tale of openness and love for all.
Find Room In your Heart at the following spots:
Kitaabworld | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | Goodreads
ISBN-10: 0999547623
ISBN-13: 978-0999547625
This review is part of Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book series. Visit her site to see the other books recommended.
Disclosure: I received an electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This review nevertheless reflects my own and honest opinion about the book.
I hope my library has this! Thanks for sharing.
They didn’t – so I made a purchase suggestion!
woo-hoo! this made my day. thanks!
I don’t believe I’ve read a Bhutan tale before. It sounds engaging and I like that you included the fact that the nation’s prosperity is based on happiness. What a great discussion book for children.
the pics of Bhutan are so serene. i totally want to visit it now.
Wow! Interesting AND beautifully illustrated. I’ve got to find this one. Thanks for featuring!
thanks for stopping by. the book is being brought to the U.S. market by Kitaabworld so not sure if librarians will be aware of it, hence trying to get the word out.
A picture book set in Bhutan, how wonderful! I suspect many adults let alone kids couldn’t locate it easily on a map. What a great find. Thank you, Darshana.
i have to admit i was one of those adults, but not any longer. 🙂
What a lovely book about generosity and compassion, and so many other kindnesses we are capable of. I already know this book will become a favorite. Thank you for telling us about it.
thanks. the book and their culture really feels like back to basics. thought i suspect that will change with greater influence of western culture.
A lovely story that I hope to track down soon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a book about Bhutan before! Thanks for reviewing it & bringing it to my attention.
Thank you 🙂