Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan

(Hardback)

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Description

Renowned picture book creator Jeanette Winter tells the story of a young girl in Afghanistan who attends a secret school for girls.

Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared.

In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll Nasreen in a secret school for girls. Will a devoted teacher, a new friend, and the worlds she discovers in books be enough to draw Nasreen out of her shell of sadness

Based on a true story from Afghanistan, this inspiring book will touch readers deeply as it affirms both the life-changing power of education and the healing power of love.

Reviews

"Winter celebrates the importance of education, and the reminder to Western children that it is a privilege worth fighting for is a powerful one."--The Horn Book Magazine
"The personal nature of the story individualizes the conflict in Afghanistan...and the quiet, tightly focused approach helps make the situation accessible. The notion of school as a privilege revoked rather than a mandatory sentencemay also elicit some thoughtful kid consideration."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Winters precise acrylics tell this story in matter-of-fact images: Taliban soldiers coming down the mountain to the city of Herat, where art and music and learning once flourished; a girl called Nasreen sitting at home, silent since her parents disappeared, forbidden to attend school; the grandmother, who tells the story, taking her to a secret girls school in a private home. The students brightly colored headscarves stand in for their bravery and eagerness to learn.--The New York Times Book Review
"Winter tells another powerful story, based on true events, of an individual activist whose singular courage brings social change...Winter artfully distills enormous concepts into spare, potent sentences that celebrate Herats rich cultural, Islamic history...even as they detail the harrowing realities of Taliban rule. And in her signature style of deceptively simple compositions and rich, opaque colors, Winters acrylic paintings give a palpable sense of both Nasreens everyday terror and the expansive joy that she finds in learning."--Booklist

Author Bio

Jeanette Winter is a celebrated picture book creator whose acclaimed works includeThe Snow Man;The Little Owl & the Big Tree: AChristmas Story;Oil;The Secret Project; andDiego, all written by Jonah Winter, and her ownBiblioburro: A True Storyfrom Colombia;Nasreens Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan; andOur House Is on Fire: Greta Thunbergs Callto Save the Planet, which has been translated into twenty-one languages.