Listen Back: Rashin Kheiriyeh shares The Book Tree and Story Boat
- Matthew C. Winner

- Sep 4
- 2 min read

Original Air Date: August 8, 2019

Rashin Kheiriyeh (@rashinkheiriyeh) is the illustrator most recently of THE BOOK TREE, authored by Paul Czajak, and STORY BOAT, authored by Kyo Maclear. Rashin is the illustrator or author-illustrator of over 70 books published around the world. Her voice as an illustrator is distinct and playful and her work has been celebrated the world over. Rashin and I have been planning to record a conversation some time, but I don't think that either of us anticipated that it would end up being recorded live in front of conference attendees at the American Library Association’s annual conference in June. Despite our brief time together in the "Live at 25" Podcast Booth, we don't waste a moment getting to the heart of the discussion.
Listen along:
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When young Arlo accidentally drops a book on the Mayors head, the Mayor decides books are dangerous and destroys all the books in town! But thanks to Arlos imagination and perseverance, the Mayor finds that suppressing stories cannot stop them from blossoming more beautifully than ever. This timely allegorical tale will be a useful tool for starting conversations with children about the power of activism and the written word.
When you have to leave behind almost everything you know, where can you call home? Sometimes home is simply where we are: here. A imaginative, lyrical, unforgettable picture book about the migrant experience through a child's eyes.
When a little girl and her younger brother are forced along with their family to flee the home they've always known, they must learn to make a new home for themselves -- wherever they are. And sometimes the smallest things -- a cup, a blanket, a lamp, a flower, a story -- can become a port of hope in a terrible storm. As the refugees travel onward toward an uncertain future, they are buoyed up by their hopes, dreams and the stories they tell -- a story that will carry them perpetually forward.
This timely, sensitively told story, written by multiple award--winner Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Sendak Fellowship recipient Rashin Kheiriyeh, introduces very young readers in a gentle, non-frightening and ultimately hopeful way to the current refugee crisis.
SHOW NOTES:
Learn more about Rashin Kheiriyeh at www.rashinart.com
THE BOOK TREE: Illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh talks about perseverance and following your dreams (YouTube)
Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin Kheiriyeh (YouTube)




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