أنا وماه

by ابتهاج الحارثي, Ibtihaj Al-Harthi

Azzan introduces us to his grandmother, who he loves very much. He loves visiting her, listening to her tell him stories, and her big hugs. But one day, Azzan has to say goodbye to his grandmotherwill he be able to understand where she has gone and what it means to lose her?

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2015

Reviews

[بثينة العيسى · Rating 5 out of 5]

رسومات تنضح بالخصوصية العمانية. في كل زاوية من الكتاب نكهة وروح. الموضوع جديد على كتب الأطفال ومهم. طريقة المعالجة قريبة من القلب.

كتاب رائع.

[lulureadss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for my research project. Loved it

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omani artist and children's author Ibtihaj Al-Harthi explores the sadness of loss and the healing of family love in this poignant picture-book, first published in Arabic by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing (since renamed the Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press). Azzan loves to spend time with his grandmother, whom the family all call 'Mah,' and enjoys his visits at her home in the small village of Bahla. When Mah dies, he grieves with the rest of the family, but continues to have questions and concerns - is Mah asleep now? is she in the sky? is she in the ground? - that his patient and loving mother addresses. Each question leads to a memory of Mah, and as the seasons pass, Azzan realizes that his grandmother will always be with him, in his heart...

Originally published as أنا وماه, Mah and Me offers a sensitive and often touching look at a young child's first real loss: the death of a grandparent. I really appreciated the way Azzan's grieving process was spread out over the year, and that he was continuing to ask questions and to speak of Mah with his mother, long after the fact. This is a more realistic reflection of loss, I think, than what I sometimes see in such books, as most people continue to think of their loved one, and to have questions and concerns, far past the 'official' mourning period. The accompanying artwork here looks like it was done (at least partially) in watercolor, and is well-suited to the story. This is my first children's book from an Omani creator - according to her website, Al-Harthi grew up in Muscat, but has fond ties to her ancestral village in the Al Sharqiya region of Oman - but I hope it will not be my last. The author appears to have written one other, which has not yet been translated, and to have illustrated a few other authors' books. I will see what I can track down. Recommended to readers looking for children's stories about death, grieving and healing, and to anyone seeking children's books set in Oman.

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

جميلة القصة جداً ودافئة وحزينة... الرسم مميز ومختلف والمحتوى ايضا مميز

[Dana Al-Basha | دانة الباشا · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry. It revolves around death and losing someone we love and understanding what death means. The artist who created this story also did the art. It's so unique, beautiful, original, and warm. Azzan loves his Mah (grandmother) one day his mother is crying and he discovers that his Mah died. He starts to think about death and her and how much he misses her and her date farm and cooking. The book is filled with this Arabian feeling, of sun, traditions, love, nostalgia, tears, and family. It's such a good book.

[Sara Alhooti · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب للأطفال عن فقد الجدة ... ويعكس شكل الحياة العمانية البسيطة

أعجبتني الرسومات أكثر من القصة

[دعاء الدريس · Rating 5 out of 5]

ممتازة لكل طفل مر بتجربة فقد،
تتكلم عن موت الجدة بشكل جدا مناسب ولطيف بحب واطمئنان برون ترهيب

[مدثر إسماعيل بلوله · Rating 5 out of 5]

جميل جدا

[Ali A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

قصّة مؤثرة معبّرة
مبكية في بعضِ تفاصيلها
رحم الله ماه وجدّتي وكلّ جدّة في العالم

[أنا.]

حنية ما بعدها حنية.

[Haya · Rating 5 out of 5]

ما أقدر أوصف مدى ارتباطي بهذا الكتاب، فقد عزّان هو فقدي. ممتنة لابتهاج ولقدرتها على صياغة ورسم مفهوم الفقد من نظرة الأطفال. واساني الكتاب، بتفاصيله وروحه اللي تشبه كل العمانيين. أشعر أنني للأبد تلك الطفلة العالقة في يوم موت جدتها.
I still don’t feel like I have grieved her, I miss her, I always think of her and this book is a form of condolence.