Ann Malaspina, illustrated by Doug Chayka,
Yasmin's Hammer
Lee & Low Books, 2010.

Ages: 5-10

When I sleep, I dream of many things
our mohish in the river
Abba’s green rice paddy
and a pile of books.

Yasmin remembers when she and her family lived far away, in the countryside where daily life lapped slow, quiet and serene. But she lives in Dhaka now, her old home shattered by a cyclone. It is in Dhaka, the city that teems with spices and shouts and signs and everywhere spinning, bustling people bursting to and fro, that her family dreams of a new and better life. 

Yasmin, too, has dreams. Although her family needs the money she and her baby sister Mita earn every day pounding clay into bricks with heavy hammers under the hot Bangladeshi sun, Yasmin dreams of the day she can leave behind the hot street, step into the coolness of a classroom, and learn to read. “If I could read”, she tells herself, “I could be a shopkeeper, or maybe a teacher.  I could be a doctor or even the governor! I could be anything at all.”

This is the story of hope overcoming happenstance, of determination overcoming disaster, of one young girl’s dedication to dreaming bigger dreams than life seems to offer, for herself, and for her family. Doug Chayka’s luminous oil paintings’ palette, warm with oranges, browns, and yellows, vividly channels the ups and downs of the emotions marking this struggle: excitement, sadness, exhaustion, determination, hope, joy, love and success.

Author Ann Malaspina, who writes with artful grace about what she calls “people struggling on the margins of society to improve their quality of life,” wrote Yasmin’s Hammer after travels to South Asia led her to young workers in Bangladesh, where, as stated in the Afterword, nearly half the citizens live in poverty. While the geographic setting of Yasmin’s Hammer may be far from many readers, Yasmin’s fierce love of family, her belief in the power of books, and her dogged conviction that her struggle will be worthwhile will speak across seas and cultures. The back matter also includes a map for those unfamiliar with Bangladesh, as well as a glossary and pronunciation guide, information on further reading, and a “how you can help” section listing organizations in the region that work with children.

Sara Hudson
October 2010