4.5 Stars
Oh, my! This is so beautiful! Kesar’s little sister, Kamal, refuses to sleep. Her parents are exhausted but Kamal doesn’t relent. When Kesar’s ba (grandmother) arrives the next day, she gifts Kesar two cloth sparrows and tells her a story.
This story inspires Kesar, and she takes the responsibility of getting Kamal to sleep that night. The parents and neighbors are surprised to see that little Kamal slept through the night. Not even a single cry! The parents decide to learn the secret and stay awake the next night. They see Kesar turn into a puppeteer to tell stories and make Kamal sleep.
The story is set in my country (India) in the beautiful desert region, the Great Rann of Kutch. The illustrations are so earthy and lively. They show the beauty of the villagers and their artsy houses without erasing the native touch. The detailing of jewelry and attire is wonderful. I missed the bindis on their charming faces, though Kamal looked perfect with her cute little bindi. This warms my heart.
The meanings for native words have been added at the end of the book, followed by an author’s note about the region. And did I say how much I love the names, Kesar and Kamal. ;)
I received an ARC from NetGalley, Yali Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles and am voluntarily leaving a review.

This was honestly the most wholesome read of this year!

The art is absolutely gorgeous, and I really loved the way of portrayal of Indian culture here. India was a vast land of many diverse traditions and cultures—you can see them differing even from each district!—and the elaborate representation of the people living in Kutch was breathtaking in every way!

I hope to see a lot more stories like this since they just stole my heart away!

This is a gorgeous little book about Kesar. A village girl in the Great Rann of Kutch in India. I love how the author writes about the extreme weather conditions and the glimpses you get of the desert lifestyle.
The artwork is beautiful and so colourful!

Growing up I had these birds on a string with brass bells!
I hope this beauty will be translated to Dutch, it is a perfect gift!

I don't often read these kind of books but came across this one and the cover is beautiful. The book is so colorful inside too. The story is adorable and beautiful. It's about family and culture and the beauty of storytelling and art and connecting with all of that as Kesar creates stories for her young sibling. It's a short story with lots of heart.

Weaving a story around folk art and craft is like walking on fire – not only does your story have to be authentic, but the illustrations must also speak the same language. The terrific team of Aditi Oza and Debasmita Dasgupta have created a truly joyful picture book zooming in on the Rann of Kutch in India.

The story is about Kesar whose baby sister Kamal just can’t sleep at night, keeping everyone awake. Dad Vijubhai tells stories, and mother Hiruben sings lullabies, but to no avail. The next day, Grandmother Mani Ba visits the family and tells Kesar a story of embroidered animals and birds coming to life. Kesar has an idea – at night, she uses Ba’s gift, a fabric bird dangler, to tell a story to Kamal. Much to everybody’s surprise, Kamal falls asleep in no time.

Aditi’s sense of belonging to this part of Gujarat reverberates on each page and the author’s note at the end of the book validates this observation. The use of Kutchi and Gujarati words makes the plot even more endearing. Debasmita’s artwork showers the book with a magical charm; I could not take my eyes off the gorgeous artwork. The details in the illustrations – right from how the characters are clothed, their jewelry, the fabric, the charpoy, the clothesline, the stacked pots, the trunks, that hand-sewing machine – I can go on and on…

This book is a collector’s item for anyone who loves folk art and craft.

A lovely little book about Kesar, village girl in the Kutch region of western India, who is given a special gift by her grandmother. Inspired by a story her grandmother narrates, Kesar comes up with an ingenious way to make her baby sister sleep at night, to the great delight of her tired parents. This book will introduce Western children to the fascinating culture of a remote land. The author's essay at the end is a great supplement for older readers or parents/teachers, providing further cultural background and suggestions for further exploration.

This books is very good and so touching. It depicts Indian culture so well. The word guide in the back helps out a lot. I can’t wait for children to get there hands on this wonderful book. They will be able to learn about the vast culture of India.

Wow, such a lovely book! I adored the art, the story, and the beauty of this book. It’s amazing to see the richness of a culture in a book for children because we can appreciate the culture when it’s not our own and highlight the culture as well. I also really appreciated the word guide at the back. It taught me more about the culture of India highlighted in this beautiful book. Each illustration was rich and lively. Such a great book! Definitely a story to share with siblings or even just children that are only children to just enjoy how something like a lullaby can bring us together.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

Kesar and the Lullaby Birds was a heartwarming tale, spanning generations. I really enjoyed the bright illustrations and appreciated the word guide at the end. I loved Kesar's relationship with her grandma. There were a lot of names that made it tough to figure out who was who, but overall it was a great book!