Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen

Being the new kid is hard. And wearing something that might seem odd to other kids is even harder.

Rostam and Maman recently moved to the United States, and Baba is still working in Iran. Now it’s picture day at school, and Rostam doesn’t want to wear his pusteen. Even though Baba wore it when he was little, and it’s beautiful and soft, Rostam worries that the other kids will think it’s weird.

But sometimes being brave means sharing your whole self with others.

＂Distinctive in the way it models children who easily accept and celebrate cultural difference, this is a reassuring tale about sharing the things that make us unique.＂--Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, award-winning children’s book author of Mommy’s Khimar and Your Name Is a Song

Ryan Bani Tahmaseb is a tutor and consultant, as well as a former librarian and English teacher. He’s also a writer. Ryan is a first-generation Iranian American on his father’s side. His father immigrated from Iran in the 1960s and wore his pusteen in elementary school, which inspired this story. Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen is Ryan’s debut book. Ryan and his family live in Maine.

Fateme Mokhles is an illustrator whose passion is teaching art to children through illustrations or in a classroom. She grew up in Iran and speaks Persian. When she’s not drawing, she can be found dancing or spending time with her husband and her dog, Lily. www.fatememokhles.weebly.com