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Sugar In Milk
A timely and timeless picture book about immigration that demonstrates the power of diversity, acceptance, and tolerance from a gifted storyteller.
When I first came to this country, I felt so alone.
A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old myth, and a story within the story begins.
A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people. The folktale depicted in this book was a part of author Thrity Umrigar's Zoroastrian upbringing as a Parsi child in India, but resonates for children of all backgrounds, especially those coming to a new homeland.
R E V I E W S:
"An engaging, beautiful, and memorable book"
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
School Library Journal, starred review [read...]
K-Gr 4
After immigrating to the United States, a young girl learns to embrace opportunities in this timely tale of courage and humanity. Set in an unnamed American city of today, a young girl moves in with her aunt and uncle. To cure the young girl’s aching homesickness, Auntie relays the story of how ancient Persian refugees immigrated to India. After reaching India’s shores, the local king turns them away from his already crowded country. Despite not sharing a common language, the Persian leader shows the king how both groups can live alongside one another in harmony, like sugar in milk. Stunningly portrayed through gorgeous visuals, these flashbacks distinguish themselves within deep blue page borders that become increasingly detailed as the story progresses, and which culminate into a dazzling pattern of peacock feathers and blooming florals as the Persians are welcomed to their new home. After hearing this story, the young girl sees her neighborhood through fresh eyes and discovers her new community is more welcoming than she first thought. Her own journey, which began alone under a cold winter sky, begins anew under the bright sun and a blossoming tree with unlimited potential for a sweet future.
VERDICT: Lush illustrations and a strong message of hope and perseverance make this a standout title for all collections.
SLJ.com Sophie Kenney, Aurora P.L., IL , Oct 01, 2020
Wall Street Journal [read...]
“When I first came to this country, I felt so alone,” a girl explains at the start of “Sugar in Milk”(RunningPressKids, 48pages, $17.99), a picture book by Thrity Umrigar about a young immigrant’s emotional adaptation. Housed with relatives in Manhattan, the child is withdrawn and pining for home. One day her aunt, like Scheherazade, diverts the girl with a story. Khoa Le’s illustrations become increasingly ornate as readers ages 5-10 hear of long-ago Persian refugees who sought asylum in India. (The book doesn’t explain, but adults who know something of history will recognize in these characters the Parsis who fled Persia during the Muslim conquest of the seventh century.) Making landfall, the travelers are turned back by the local king, who reclines on a beautiful throne and throws up a palm to forestall their appeal: “These visitors look foreign and speak a strange and different language I do not understand.”
Well, the newcomers don’t understand the speech of their king either, so communication must continue through gestures. The king fills a goblet with milk to indicate that his realm is full. The leader of the travelers, a clever man, counters by stirring a spoonful of sugar into the milk. The level is unchanged, but the milk is sweeter. In a burst of fellow-feeling and generous good humor, the king welcomes the strangers to dwell in peace and add sweetness to his land. As the aunt finishes her story, the girl sees her adopted home in a new spirit of affection: “I looked around me, stopped. And then I took another step—into the dazzling light of America. Nothing had changed. And yet, everything had.”
—Meghan Cox Gurdon October 2, 2020