THE SEASONS OF PARASTOO

When Parastoo's mother must go away for the winter, the cycles of nature give Parastoo hope that her mother, like the birds, will return in the spring.

Parastoo loves the colors that make up her world, and especially loves the blue swallows in the tree outside her window. She's sad when they fly south for the winter - and this year is hard because her mom has to go away for a while, too. Fortunately, her grandparents take great care of her, and she continues to find joy in the wonders of each season. But she longs for spring, when her mother will return just like the swallows. Celebrating the cycles of nature, this warm family story offers a reassuring message about how seasons of nature - and life - come and go, each with their own special beauty. Rashin Kheiriyeh (rashinart.com) is an award-winning illustrator, author, animator, and painter who has published over ninety children's books in more than a dozen countries. In 2023, she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and she has received fifty national and international awards, including the Sendak Fellowship Award, the Bologna Book Fair New Horizon Award, the Golden Apple Award (Slovakia), and the FAJR Film Festival Crystal Roc Award (Iran). She has a Doctorate in illustration and an MFA in graphic design. She's the artist for Sugarland (Shekarestan), the most popular animated TV series in Iran, and a lecturer in the University of Maryland art department. She was born in Iran, and now lives in Washington DC.