Learning about history and how past generations lived is a great way for everyone, but particularly children, to understand traditions, where they came from and how that’s shaped the life they lead now. “My Nanee” written by Asha Kaur Bhamra and beautifully illustrated by Eleanor Jones is a great example of this. Asha wanted to write the book to share with readers how wonderful and inspiring her grandmother, Nanee, was. I was kindly gifted an electronic version of the book so that I could read and review it.
“My Nanee” starts with a trip to the Gurdwara and the conversation that took place between Asha and her grandmother about her life. Asha’s Nanee shared how she’d moved from a village in India to Kenya and then to the UK where she lived for the rest of her life. She shared some of the things she’d done, giving a wonderful insight into her childhood and beyond as she grew up living in different countries and experiencing new cultures.
Her grandmother’s tales
Through her grandmother’s tales, Asha learned about the dreams, love and resilience that shaped her family and the aspirations, education and traditions that connect her to her heritage and roots. The beautiful illustrations convey the rich heritage experienced by Nanee that was passed on through conversations with her children and grandchildren. This is such an important message as that’s how children learn about their history and understand about their heritage, where traditions came from and their significance.
I know a lot about my heritage and my side of the family’s history, but I’ve not got as much information about my husband’s side. He talks about snippets from his childhood, but there’s a lot of information that he doesn’t know about. I’ve been able to fill in a lot of gaps about this from recent conversations I’ve had with my mother-in-law. I help her with a few things every week and we have a cuppa and a catchup afterwards which has been lovely as I’ve learned so much about her early life and that of my husband during our chats.
“My Nanee” is a great book to prompt conversations with children about heritage, their history and some of the adventures their older relatives have had. I moved a few times when I was a child and that’s something that my eldest daughter thinks is exciting because she’s always lived in the same town. The thought of moving terrifies her, so it’s prompted a lot of conversations about how I felt and how I started to make new friends and school when I started a new one.
Using My Nanee as a tool to start conversations
I read the book to my youngest daughter and showed her the illustrations which started a lovely conversation about my mum and mother-in-law and the different places they have lived. She asked lots of questions about her grandmothers and it’s something we’ll come back to again.
The book is a lovely tool to use to start conversations with children about their grandparents, and it’s also a beautiful tribute from Asha to her grandmother. I love that. In a modern world that’s influenced so much by technology, it’s refreshing to see such a touching tribute to Asha’s grandmother using her own words in a book. The vibrant illustrations convey her life in a colourful and loving way and are something that future generations will be able to use to learn about her life and all of the places she lived.
“My Nanee” is available to buy from Austin Macauley, and retail outlets such as Amazon and Waterstones. Please note that if you click on the link to Amazon and buy the book, I get paid a fee.
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