Wow!
This book was surprisingly deep and moving...something that's not always present in children's picture books. The illustrations are beautiful and pair will with the text.
Asha, our main character, is dealing with the grief of losing her grandmother who lived in India. This is a very appropriate book to read with children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. I appreciated that the author didn't shy away from touching on the topic of anger in the grief cycle.

Overall, I would highly recommend as a conversation starter with children who are grieving the loss of a loved one.


I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to start with the illustrations- so gorgeous! So bright and colorful, filled with detail, filled with Asha's memories of her grandmother, who has passed away. Also, I'm seriously jealous of Asha's sock collection! The story is bittersweet, about Asha having a hard time coming to terms with her grandmother's death, going through the stages of grief, until an unexpected last gift from her grandmother helps her to finally let her tears come and to grieve. The story is based on the author's own experience, when her children lost their first grandparent in India. A good story for helping children understand and deal with grief.

The Yellow Suitcase is a moving picture book about love, grief, and death. The lovely artwork is soft and bright. This is perfect for young readers to help them learn about dealing with grief and a loved one’s death. However, I wish certain aspects of the writing had been a little less abrupt.

Young Asha travels with her parents to India to mourn her grandmother’s death. She has her yellow suitcase which she usually fills with gifts for Grandma and which she takes back to California filled with gifts from Grandma. Asha does not know how to process her beloved grandmother’s death. However, she soon discovers a special gift that Grandma has left just for her. Asha realizes that she will always have her memories of Grandma.

This is a beautifully illustrated and bittersweet book. Meera Sriram’s story is simple and easy to follow. The book deals very well with understanding grief from a child’s perspective. I also like how the writer and illustrator show Asha and Grandma’s sweet relationship through gifts and memories. However, I wish the book had shown in greater detail how Asha eventually comes to accept Grandma’s passing. I think the development is a little abrupt.

I love the soft bright colours of Meera Sethi’s child-friendly illustrations. The little details are wonderful. I love Asha’s fun socks, the funky designs of the suitcases, and the beautiful fruits and flowers. I particularly love how Indian culture perfectly shines through in every drawing.

The Yellow Suitcase is a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated book which can help children learn how to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. I am definitely looking forward to anything Sriram and Sethi put out in the future!


🧳 🧳 🧳 🧳 suitcases out of 5!

This is the story of Asha, who visits India when her grandmother passes away, and has trouble coming to terms with it.

Filled with bold, colorful illustrations, this book would help children deal with the grief accompanying the loss of a loved one. The book also captures the hustle and bustle of Indian streets perfectly.

Coincidentally, the author and the illustrator have the same first name!

Asha is a little girl from the US who flies to India with her parents to visit her grandmother. Asha has packed her favourite yellow suitcase for the trip, one she usually fills full of special gifts and treats to give to her grandmother on her arrival, just like she has so many times before. At the time of take-off she has not yet been informed that her grandmother has passed away.

When the taxi pulls up in front of grandmother's home she is not waiting on the front porch like she alway does to greet them. Wherever could she be wonders Asha?

Once inside the house Asha finds relatives talking about her grandmother, the scent of jasmine flowers, incense smoke curling up, and a picture of her grandma hanging on the wall... oh my! That's odd. Wherever could she be?

It's then that Asha starts asking questions to her parents and tries to ultimately processes the reality of death. This heartfelt, tender book is about love, loss and dealing with raw emotions and grief. Asha misses all the beautiful things that she and her beloved grandmother shared so lovingly together. When the mourning period ends and her parents are ready to fly back home Asha discovers a hand-made treasure from her grandmother that was secretly packed inside her little yellow suitcase. This gift is a labour of love and contains past memories for Asha to keep long into her future. It is then that Asha knows that her grandmother although absent from this world will always be tucked inside her heart. Always!

The illustrations are bright and colourful and enrich the bittersweet message from the author. This story shows that grieving over the loss of a loved one is universal. I highly recommend this book.

3.5 for what it is now but imagine this is a 4 star book for me. A girl goes back to India with her family to grieve her beloved grandma. Lovingly colorful and expressive art that matches the pain and also bright memory of the grandma this book is centered upon.

Would love to see this when it’s done and published.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful book about grief, and loss. The beautiful imagery throughout book were beautiful and sad. They showed the struggle Asha was going through in dealing with the loss of her grandmother. This is probably one of my favourite children’s books on grief due to the contrasting bold colors and pictures to the sad and subdued messaged.

In terms of content the book is fine and fills what I imagine must be a pretty large gap in the market for children's books about mourning for a grandparent who lives at an extreme distance.

ARC Copy...Can very much sense the Indian culture in both the illustrations (which also ties with both the girl + grandma's art talents) and funeral-morning customs within the narrative and liken the theme of legacy.

The Yellow Suitcase by Meera Sriram is a beautiful, emotive story about the loss of a grandparent whose home is very far away. Young Asha travels to India from California for her grandmother's funeral, and is overwhelmed by an absence that is even more pronounced when she is surrounded by her grandmother's very essence in India.

With gorgeous illustrations by Meera Sethi, the very spirit of India is brought to life in vibrant colour. Asha's fashion choices are also of particular note, specifically the Frida Kahlo socks that feature upon her arrival from California.

This is a lovely, heartbreaking story about love, loss, and grief, universal themes that are presented here as being accessible and relatable to even the youngest of children.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penny Candy Books for this ARC.