Like the “rain rain go away” but desi, however monsoon rarely ever goes away that easily. In the book. For children who aren’t familiar with such concepts it felt like an opportunity missed. Liked the illustrations and the use of foreign words.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the pictures in this book. They are so bright and colorful. The story gives insight into another country and another culture.

Mina Vs the Monsoon is a picturebook written by Rukhsanna Guidroz , and illustrated by Debasmita Dasgupta. Mina loves to play soccer all year round. Nothing comes close to it. But when the monsoon arrives, Mina is stuck indoors and she can’t help feeling restless and bored. Her ammi doesn’t understand. The doodhwalla doesn’t understand. Soccer-mad Mina tries just about any trick to stop the monsoon clouds from raining on her game. In doing so, she shows us glimpses of her life in a village in eastern India, highlighting the important role played by monsoon rains in this part of the world. The heart of the story, however, is the bond forged between a mother and her daughter on a gray, gloomy day. Soccer will never be the same again for Mina!

Mina Vs the Monsoon is a lovely book that works on a couple of levels. Every child has been unable to do something they want because of the weather. Be it monsoons, hurricanes, blizzards, scorching heat or arctic blasts. This is something we can all relate to and sympathize with Mina as she tries everything she can think of to play. I think the mom reacts like many moms, starting with explaining why, to redirecting, and commiserating. I loved seeing the pair connect, and really found the story lovely.

I also liked that I got to learn more about a part of the world, language, and culture I do not know nearly enough about. I know I want to take more time to explore the cultures around the world, but getting little glimpses like this inspires me to be more expansive and intensive with that goal. I love learning about places I have never seen, cultures, and folklore that is new to me. I need to infuse even more diverse books into my to be read pile, and get going on them. Hopefully, reading books like this will inspire others to do the same.

This was a delightful book! My daughters and I all loved it for different reasons- they loved the colorful illustrations, and the story itself-about a little girl in India who just wants to play soccer all day. I loved it because of the little snippets of Indian culture, the translation guide in the back, and MOST of all- the explanation at the end about why so many young girls are playing organized soccer in India today- “to combat the common practice of child marriage, give the young girls a sense of accomplishment, encourage girls to stay in school, and to challenge the belief that a girl’s place in the world is at home.” What a powerful message!

I thought this story was going to go in a completely different direction... and I'm not sure I like how it ultimately ended.

Mina is a girl who is completely obsessed with soccer. When the rain comes, her mother doesn't want her to go outside and play in it, saying she'll catch a cold. She offers chai and samosas instead... which I would've accepted gladly. (Forget the stupid soccer!) While Mina is waiting for the rain to go away, she tries to come up with ways to chase away the monsoon: playing the tabla, doing her version of a reverse rain dance, trying a magic trick, and stringing a flower garland (her mother's suggestion). I thought that Mina would eventually discover that there were plenty of other things to do while she waited for the rain to pass... but the story went in a totally different direction. When she goes to get the thread for the flower garland, she finds her mother's old soccer jersey. Turns out, her mother used to play, and she used to always catch a cold in the rain (which explains her protectiveness of Mina now). Eventually, the rain stops, and Mina thinks her magic trick worked. Then she has the supposedly great idea for her and her mother to play soccer and just get under shelter if the rain starts again (which seems like a no-brainer, but whatever). So, in a cute scene, mother and daughter play soccer together in the mud. Then the book abruptly ends.

The illustrations are different. They're very colourful, and the expressions are interesting, but I have a feeling they're not going to appeal to everyone. The sense of place, however, is well done, and I really felt like I was reading a story set in India (and not just someone's idea of a story set in India).

So, overall, this was just okay for me. It will probably appeal more to kids who are really passionate about sports, especially soccer. I was never really a fan, so I had a bit of a hard time relating to Mina's obsession.

Great to see some representation for the desi bachas. This book is seriously gorgeous and the story is very sweet. Perfect for kids stuck inside while it rains outside. They can enjoy it while eating samosas. 😉❤

Mina vs. the Monsoon by Rukhsanna Guidroz, tells the beautiful story of a girl that learns about her mother after being stuck inside during monsoon season.

Mina vs. the Monsoon is a beautiful story about women's empowerment, mother/daughter relationships, and the importance of girls in sports. On top of all that, we learn a little bit about life in India and it's culture. 

This is a wonderful book for young girls to read with their mothers, especially if you have a young girl that is interested in sports.

A delightful book about a girl who wants to play soccer though it is raining outside. She learns a secret about her mother in the process. Beautiful illustrations

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

This is a very cute book in which poor Mina is being kept housebound by a monsoon when all she wants to do is play soccer. She thinks her mother doesn't understand, but eventually learns that her mother used to be frustrated by just the same thing. The note at the book's end about humanitarian groups organizing soccer games to get girls involved and prevent child marriage is a little heartbreaking, but in a hopeful way.

Mina loves to play soccer outside in the sunshine. But it’s now monsoon season and that means a lot of days filled with rain. Her mother won’t let her play soccer in the rain since she might catch a cold. But Mina knows that her mother doesn’t understand the joy of playing soccer or scoring a goal. Mina tries a series of things to drive the rain away, but none of them work. When the milk man explains to her why the rain is so important for the rice crops and mango fruit, she still isn’t convinced. Finally, Mina discovers something new about her mother that just might change everything, even the pouring rain.

A strong book about the importance of girls playing sports, this book has an afterword that speaks to the work of local organizations in India combating child marriage by organizing girls’ soccer games. Those games keep the girls in school, offer them a sense of accomplishment and give them a model for different roles for women and girls in society. The writing is kept simple and is filled with words in Urdu and Hindi that are defined in a glossary at the end of the book that also offers pronunciation guidance. They are used cleverly in context so that readers will immediately understand them as well.

The art in this picture book is vibrant despite the rain. It offers a look at life in rural India, the vibrancy of the textiles, and the connection to nature. It also clearly depicts Mina’s love for her mother even when they don’t agree.

A powerful look at sports and girls in an interesting part of our world. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

This is a sweet story about a young girl who is stuck inside during the sub-continent’s monsoon season when she would prefer to be outside playing football/soccer. I loved the pictures and rich art and liberal sharing of new words.

The fact that this is a little girl who wants to play sport is lovely. And her mother’s secret interest in the same sport was also adorable. But I wasn’t too fond of the idea that the monsoons could be chased by music or dancing away. I wonder if children living in that environment will be similarly put off, especially when they know the season to last much much longer than is depicted in this story. I also was put off by the use of “soccer” when the Indians 1) play cricket with more regularity and 2) call it football. I appreciate that soccer is more palatable to American audiences but since we are learning new words, we could teach how American is an outlier is the sports world.

If you are looking for a diversity picture book, this has loads of meat on it with which to start many interesting discussions. But I don’t see it being popular outside of the USA.

This book was a delight!

If your new to Indian culture you'll learn a few things without feeling information overload and hopefully enjoy the sweet simple story as well.

Mina loves to play soccer, but when the monsoon season comes, she is stuck inside. Her mother and the milk-man try to bring comfort, but Mina decides to drive away the rain. In her efforts, she discovers that her mother was a soccer player too. Eventually, the rains do stop and the two of them go outside to play soccer together. This is a lightly told story of female-empowerment in India. It offers a peek into an average life, and offers hope of what that life can become other than the long-established and suppressive life that is currently common to so many young Indian girls. Use this book to begin a discussion about Indian culture and women's rights.

This book is beautiful! The story is great for young girls, especially ones with an interest in outdoor hobbies like soccer. Mina loves soccer and is upset that she cannot go outside to play because of the rain. Her mother encourages her to just enjoy the day, but Mina doesn't understand and tries to find ways to make the rain go away. In the end, Mina and her mother find a way to resolve the problem and connect with each other. I think it is a great book and would be a great addition to any library, personal or otherwise. The book includes Urdu and Hindi words that are used in place of their respective English words so the reader can understand them from context. The end has a guide to help with pronunciation and definitions.

I loved both the illustrations (especially the peacocks) and the message in the book. It teaches that it's perfectly fine for girls to want to go out, play soccer, and get a little muddy in the process.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. Mina, a girl living in a South Asian village, is very sad as she loves to play soccer outdoors but the monsoon is about to invade. She asks her mother if she can go outside anyway. Her ammi declines her request and tells her to stay inside as she might catch a cold. "Let's celebrate the monsoon with chai and samosas."

The monsoon closes in bringing with it rain, lightning and thunder. Mina is convinced that her ammi doesn't understand her love for soccer and her euphoric feeling as she scores a goal. What can Mina possibly do to chase away her disappointment?

She sees the dodo wallah (milkman) approaching and he encourages her by saying this not a time for despair but one for dancing and being happy. Mina heeds his words, dresses up fancy, and dances to try and ward off or perhaps even stop the heavy rain outside. Can she succeed?

While Mina is finding some thread in her mother's bedroom cabinet she stumbles upon a wonderful secret. One that reveals something amazing from her ammi's past... one that makes Mina over-the-moon happy. The unveiling of this information encourages both her and her ammi to head outdoors and play the best kind of soccer ever.... together.... soccer in the mud! Oh happy day!

A glossary of selected Hindi and Urdu words from the story are featured at the back of the book. The illustrations are colourful, vivid and very expressive. This is a delightful book highlighting a special bond in a mother-daughter relationship made deeper by the game of soccer that they enjoy together on an otherwise dreary and dismal day. I highly recommend this book.

A lovely story about a girl who wants to play soccer even though it's raining season. So, her mom is helping her continue her game by joining her outside. The illustrations are nice, colorful, but I did not like it much.
Thanks Netgalley for this copy.

A cute story about a girl who just wants it to stop raining so she can play soccer. Could easily have been a "kids don't like rain" story, but the addition of the mother-daughter bonding over soccer was what made this book stand out most to me.

Lovely illustrations and a nice story about a girl in India who wants to play soccer outside, but can't because of the monsoon. An interesting plot for young readers as well as a chance to learn about different cultures and regions of the world. I appreciated the note at the end about organizations trying to combat child marriage by organizing soccer games for young girls.

This book tells of a young Pakistani girl who is obsessed with playing soccer. Sad because the weather prevents her from going out, she tries to make the rain go away—does not sing the famous rhyme but does do a dance—with the help of her trusty, if not real, elephant. At the end she and her mom realize what every soccer-playing kid knows: it’s more fun playing in the mud.
The guide to Urdu and Hindi words would have been more welcome at the front, but at least it’s there.
Not sure what the moral is here. Seemed like a good opportunity to teach patience or acceptance of things you can’t change, but that certainly didn’t happen here.
Boisterously illustrated, with what might be too much color considering how basic the artwork is.