MY LITTLE ROUND HOUSE

This “little round house” is a ger, a Mongolian movable house used by the nomadic people of the steppes as they move from camp to camp with the changing seasons. Jilu, the infant narrator, tells the story of his first year from birth to his birthday the following summer. Babies may not be able to speak, but this boy provides the readers with the details of traditional Mongolian life in such an ingenuous way that the conceit works: “When my grandfather came with his long, long pipe and long, long beard and gruff voice, I was so scared, I cried.” The folk-art–style gouache paintings show the home furnishings, the clothing, the animals, the landscapes, the handmade toys and the seasons of the year, including the New Year, Tsagaan Sar, held in winter but heralding the arrival of the soon-to-come spring. Perhaps the first picture book from a Mongolian author/illustrator to arrive in North America, this will appeal to children who are a little older than the baby and can fully understand the text. A unique look at a culture unknown to most. (Picture book. 3-7)