This book has lovely artwork that has a dreamlike feel that complements knowing these people live far away, but still helps one begin to see Afghanistan as a real place with real people. Young Yamo lives in a country village in Afghanistan and for the first time gets to go to the market to sell their fruit with his father because his older brother has gone off to fight in the civil war. The story is interesting and gives a new perspective of this country and what they are going through in a touching way, while not being overly descriptive about the war aspect (just right for children). It's the kind of book you want to read with your children to spark good discussions with them about different cultures and places around the world as well as discussing how war is not just something in the past, but present today. Great for children 6 and up.



Disclaimer: I recieved a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion. ( )

The most beautiful village in the world is the village of Paghman in this story. We meat Yamo and his father gathering plums and cherries to sell at market. Yamo tells us that this is his first trip to market with his father because his older brother, Harood, is a soldier fighting in the civil war. The road to market is long, and learning to sell fruit on his own is daunting, but he has his donkey with him. We see the people at market selling and buying goods, injured men from war and also soldiers with guns. The illustrations are beautiful and portray villages, homes, and markets that were common in Afghanistan before civil war destroyed this country. This book can be used to compare other countries as well as discussing multiculturalism.

The Most Beautiful Village in the World is dedicated to the children of Afghanistan; the author modeled the fictional village of Paghman on a peaceful, welcoming village he had the honor to visit that was later destroyed during the civil war. It's no secret that there are civil wars ravaging communities around the world, destroying all that was there and leaving rubble behind. With all the refugees now making their homes in North America, there may be children in your neighbourhood or your child's classroom who actually lived through a civil war. This is a picture books with beautiful illustrations, but it is not for young children. The ending will shock and surprise the reader and might be tough to explain to young children. If you want to read it to younger children, you might want to stop before you get to the last page. The publisher, Museyon, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, opinions and ideas are my own. ( )

Japanese author and illustrator Yukata Kobayashi, who traveled extensively in Central Asia in the 1970s and 80s, spins a gentle tale of the Afghan village of Paghman in this lovely, and ultimately heartbreaking picture-book. A place of plums, cherries, pears and pistachios, Paghman is the home of young Yamo, who, in the absence of his older brother Haroon, off fighting in the distant war, accompanies his father to the city to sell their fruit. After a magical day of adventure, Yamo and his father buy a beautiful little lamb - the first their family has ever owned - and return home...

Originally published in Japan in 1995, as せかいいちうつくしいぼくの村 ("Sekaiichi utsukushii bokuno mura"), and translated into English this past year (2018), The Most Beautiful Village in the World lulls the reader with its gentle narrative and beautiful artwork, creating a picture of a wonderful, almost idyllic world. Paghman was, according to Kobayashi's afterword, modeled on a number of Afghan villages that the author visited, where he experienced the beauty of the countryside and was made to feel welcome. Given that beauty, which Kobayashi captures in his lovely artwork, and given the gentle nature of the narrative, the postscript at the end of the story, which reads: "In the winter, the village was destroyed in the war. It no longer exists," pack quite an emotional punch. There is something so devastating about that conclusion, so understated and matter-of-fact, after the quiet tale that preceded it. Through his art and his text, Kobayashi encourages the reader to become invested in Yamo, his family, and his village, so when one learns the eventual fate of Paghman, one feels the tragedy of something so beautiful being lost. I'm grateful that this book was translated. I find it beautiful, poignant and painful. Apparently it is just the first, of a series of picture-books Yutaka Kobayashi created about various villages. I certainly hope those other books are eventually translated as well! ( )