I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the colorful pictures in this book. The story flows well and will give kids a look into another culture.

This book was such a good book. I read it and enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Yamo, a young boy from Paghman, Afghanistan, finally, finally is allowed to go with his father into the city to sell their plums and cherries--mostly this is because his older brother who usually accompanies his father is away fighting in "the war". We follow Yamo on his first experience as he explores the city led by the family's donkey. Page after page of brilliant and beautiful illustrations colored in and replaced the stark images I had in my mind of what Afghanistan was like.

Yamo is sweet by and the people he encounters while selling the family's cherries make you smile. Kobayashi does an excellent job reminding readers of the reality of life in Afghanistan (which can sometimes seem marred by the images on the news or in television shows depicting darker parts).

War is alluded to across the story, reminding the reader that while there is beauty in this country there is something harder happening alongside. We meet a man who lost his leg in the war. Yamo waits for his brothers return in the Spring with expectation.

The end, and I am sorry to "ruin" it for you but if I was a parent looking for a book for my child I would want to be made aware, the end is bleak and stark.

The closing page states only this, "In the winter, the village was destroyed in the war.
It no longer exists."

When I read the book the first time I had to reread the previous page because what was filled with hope and expectation was suddenly ended. And maybe that was Kobayashi's point. Regardless, parents should be aware of that when preparing to read this book with their children.

I was given a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

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.

'The Most Beautiful Village in the World' by Yutaka Kobayashi is a beautiful picture book for young readers with a shocking, abrupt ending that may not be for all little readers. I personally found it lovely and poignant.

Young Yamo lives in the Afghan village of Paghman. His older brother is a soldier, so he has to go in to the village to see cherries with his father. The marketplace is busy and Yamo meets lots of nice people there. He sells all of his fruit, but his father doesn't. They have lunch and decide to buy a lamb to take home. Yamo wishes his brother would return soon, but the last page of the book says that the village was bombed and no longer exists.

It's an abrupt and difficult ending for a children's book, and I hate to spoil it, but it's in the best interests of people who choose books for children. The author bases the story on his own experiences visiting a similar village. In no way is the ending sensationalized or exploitive. It's not even illustrated. There may be some children who are disturbed by such an ending, but that doesn't stop these sort of things from happening in our world.

I adored the full 2-page illustrations. They show a vibrant culture and make it a place that I wouldn't mind visiting.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Museyon Inc. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

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.

4★
"Plums, cherries, pears, pistachios. It’s spring. The village of Paghman is filled with flowers."

First, I am giving a short summary of the story, including the ending. I think that anyone considering buying a children's picture book should know the story they are sharing and whether it is suitable for their audience. Second, I must say, these illustrations are rich with detail!

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
This is a village in Afghanistan with real people, real lives, and real war always in the background . . . until it moves closer.

The story is a simple, direct account of a little boy, Yamo, going with his father to sell fruit at the markets. His older brother is the usual helper, but Haroon is now a soldier fighting in the war.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
First, they walk through the village.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
Then they are on the open road, with vehicles and camels.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
Yamo's father is going to sell plums in the plaza (near men in the background with big guns), but he says Yamo can roam through the town to sell the cherries with Pompa, the donkey, who knows where he's going.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
Pompa leads the way, carrying baskets full of cherries.

If only our GPS systems were as reliable as the animals who know where they're going even when you're lost. Many's the wounded warrior (or drunk) who's been brought home by his faithful mount.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
Fruit from Paghman is very popular, and the baskets are empty. Yamo leads Pompa proudly back to his father (with another armed guard on the bus behind).

Because they've had such a successful day, they are buying a surprise to take home - a lamb! This will be the first lamb the family has owned and the most beautiful in the village.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration here with the following caption:]
Yamo names it 'Bahaar', meaning 'spring', and wishes his big brother would come home soon to meet the newest member of the family.


"Spring is still nearly a year away.

In the winter,

the village was destroyed in the war.

It no longer exists."

There is no way to soften this blow. That is how abruptly the story ends, and that's exactly what wars do, end stories. This is told in a simple, matter-of-fact manner. The illustrations are much better than the language, which I think has been awkwardly translated.

Yamo says "Good-bye, Mom!" in the morning, and when villagers ask as they pass by if he's going somewhere, he answers, "Yep. I'm going with my dad."

That just sounds really weird to me. I would prefer a more universal English vocabulary, even if it means changing the sentence structure slightly to Yamo says "Good-bye!" to his mother and is going with his father.

But the language isn't the point, is it? It's this beautiful, busy part of the world full of families and farms and villages and LIFE, and it's being obliterated. I'm not sure who the target audience is, but I assume somebody knows.

Thanks to NetGalley and Museyon for the preview copy from which I've taken excerpts. #Afghanistan #NetGalley.

This is still available on NetGalley until publication date the first of October.

His family raises fruit to sell at the market. They sing while they harvest it. Life in their village is good.

Museyon and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published October 1st.

This year the younger brother gets to go the village with his father. His brother is away, fighting the war. After they have sold their goods, his father buys them a lamb to take home.

While it may be the most beautiful village in the world, when winter comes the war claims the village and there is a village no more. The Afghanistan war is unforgiving.

The most Beautiful Village in the World written by Yutaka Kobayashi is a strong, children's book that I warmly suggest to buying to your children for let them think of the importance of a peaceful place as the one where they are living in, and a country where this blessing is distant and where living and existing is just a story of luck and where, also life is much more hard.
This children's book starts with a great poeticity. Set in Afghanistan, during years of war and in a little town called, name of fantasy, Paghman enchanting and fertile, plenty of delicious fruits, beautiful sunny and colored flowers, the description the one of a rural reality the one experienced in Europe these past decades.
Illustrations are very colored, vivid, realistic, dreaming.
Yamo is a little boy and goes to the town for helping his dad at selling for the first time fruits replacing his brother at war. With them the donkey called Pompa. They would have sold cherries and plums.
Yum!
Once they have finished to sell all fruits Yamo's dad will present to his son a precious gift, a lamb called Spring for the good work done.

But, problem is another one: problem is that during the war this village was destroyed.

When you read this final phrase, "In the winter, the village was destroyed in the war. It no longer exists" after having read of animals, fruits, market, tea-rooms, chat with friends, dinamic life you feel a profound shock.

But it's important. It's important to understand the price of liberty, freedom, peace and the one of oppression, war, peril. It's important to understand that it's up to us, only to us, to build the society and the world where we want to live in, starting from the little actions of everyday. And that the difference is visibly important and plenty of signification.

Also little ones should understand this. If you put on your children's hands this book I know how profound, long will be this conversation, because I experienced it.

As adds the author, our idea of Afghanistan is the one of an arid place but there are mountains, hills, and fertile places and most important, many gentle innocent people who were and still are paying a too high price just for being born and for living in a country of great torments and agitations.

As says the TAO when there is a war, "Every victory is a funeral; when you win a war, you celebrate by mourning."


I thank Museyon Publishing House for the copy of this book.

Illustrations are beautiful. It is about a father and his son in a village in Afghanistan. It opens discussion on the reality of war.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher.

The Most Beautiful Village in the World (Hardcover)
by Yutaka Kobayashi
When wars happen people regret the destruction of their inevitable path. What is left behind is a way less then what was there before. A young boy shows his story about selling cherries and fruits in the town market. It shows the wonder of the city to a small village kid. The realization happens at the back of the book, when the author explains what has been lost in the war, and how the child's story shows the destructive weight of war. Its a beautiful story with a very tragic ending.

The Most Beautiful Village in the World is a picture book written and illustrated by Yutaka Kobayahi. I was excited about the opportunity to read this book because I wanted to share it with my girls. They always enjoy the books I receive, and their feedback is useful in helping me write my reviews.

This is a slow-paced picture book about an Afghani boy named Yamo who lives in the village of Paghman with his parents. His older brother is off fighting in the war, and because of this, Yamo will get to travel to town to sell the fruit they have picked. Yamo has never been to town before, and is somewhat intimidated when his father asks him to walk around with the fruit. Later, he and his father share tea at a restaurant, and they have enough money to buy a lamb. No one else in the village has a lamb of their own, and Yamo is very proud to be able to return home with their new lamb.

The story ends with, “In the winter, the village was destroyed in the war. It no longer exists.”

I try to be very careful about revealing spoilers in my book reviews, but in the case, I feel that it’s very important for adults to know about the very surprising ending before sharing this book with children. It’s quite sobering to spend so much time getting to know Yamo (and like), only to find out that his village was completely destroyed. My girls were surprised by the ending, and said that it was very sad. This book definitely achieved its goal of bringing awareness to the plight of the Afghan people, whose country has been under siege for the last forty years.

The story itself is beautiful in its simplicity. It reminded me of the classic picture book Ox-Cart Man. Both books involve a farmer leaving his farm with wares to sell in town, and the most interesting parallel is that Ox-Cart Man takes place in the 19th century and The Most Beautiful Village in the World is a relatively modern story.

The illustrations are subdued but realistic. They capture the beauty of rural Afghanistan before it was marred by war. Yamo’s life is simple, but it is full, and it’s clear that the villagers all care for one another. The reader feels Yamo’s sense of wonder at traveling along the dusty road and seeing the town for the first time.

I would absolutely recommend The Most Beautiful Village in the World. This book is probably best suited for older children for the reasons that I have discussed above, although parents are the best judges of their children’s needs. This is such a lovely story, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to share it with my children.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was an enjoyable story with some lovely images but I wasn’t really prepared for the ending and it was quite a shock and something that really saddened me. I think that parents could do with reading this one by themselves so they can explain at the end what happened to the people that the villages was based on in real life. It is a thought provoking and poignant story.

The Most Beautiful Village in the World is a touching story that includes love, admiration, working together and sadness. The writing is simple, yet informative, and the illustrations are wonderfully drawn. While the story touches on a bit of sadness (a brother who's away fighting in the war), the story doesn't base it's whole premise on that. I liked the fact that the father trusted his son to help him sell items in the village, and that there was a sweet 'reward' after he had succeeded in his sales. The ending is sad, but a good way to open the topic of war with children that are old enough to understand. This book tugged at my heartstrings and I look forward to reading more from Yutaka Kobayashi.

Wow. An absolutely gorgeous and heartbreaking story about a small village in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is near and dear to me for many reasons and I have not seen a children's picture book set in the country so I was thrilled to find this book.

A little boy and his father travel to the big city to sell their cherries during the summer. They use the profits to buy a lamb that they bring back to their village, which we find out is destroyed in the war in the coming winter. The impact of war appears throughout the story making this a great book for discussing hard topics such as death, loss and sorrow. The illustrations are absolutely stunning, and they show an accurate picture of daily life in Afghanistan, including guns and burkas. This book would make an excellent introduction to cultures around the world, the current war in Afghanistan and war in general.

Thank you Netgalley and Museyon for an advanced copy of this book.

Yamo is a young boy who lives in Afghanistan, in the village of Paghman. The landscape is green and luscious bearing abundant crops of apricots, plums and cherries. These succulent fruits are said to be the best in the world.

Although the city is thriving and at peace all around it war is raging. Yamo has his first experience going to the market with his father in place of his older brother Haroon who is off fighting in the war. He is overly excited but also a little nervous never having been a vendor before in the bustling marketplace.

Father and son have great success selling their baskets of fruit and with the money they earn Father purchases a lamb to take back to the village. Everyone in the village is looking at the lamb as they arrive home and Yamo walks the lamb along the village street with his chest puffed up, so proud to be the new owner of something so precious and scarce in their village.

Then you get a shock......

The author pens a note to the reader at the end of the book explaining that the story is based on a real-life village he visited during the tenth year of the war. This book opens up a dialogue about war and peace and how blessed we are to live in a country (if you do) where you are safe and able to live a productive, happy life with your family. I highly recommend this book. It creates understanding and empathy towards other who live in countries who struggle each and every day to survive... if in fact they do. Heartbreaking. A story that needs to be told and discussed.

The Most Beautiful Village in the World is filled with lush pictures of an Afghanistan many of us never imagine. The story seems pretty straightforward: a little boy is excited to be travelling to the market with his father for the first time. They spend the day selling their fresh cherries and plums and the boy learns how things work at the market.

It's a bit jarring to see the guns in the background in many of the images, and the ending of this story is quite heartbreaking. This might not be the best story for more sensitive or very young readers (or you might just skip the last couple of pages). At the very end is a bittersweet note from author Yutaka Kobayashi who explains that this story is based on a real village he visited during the tenth year of the war in Afghanistan.

I highly recommend this for adults and older children who have a curiosity about other places and other cultures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Museyon Inc.for providing me with a DRC of this book.

Yamo lives in a village where the best fruits grow in Afghanistan. His older brother is fighting in the war so he must join his father in the journey to take their goods and sell them. Beautiful illustrations showcase the story and every move the characters make. The story highlights the hardships on family and living in a country riddled with war. It's a great conversation starter with kids, to tell them about other cultures and the way other families live.

I enjoyed this story of a life very different from my own. A story of how a village and family life within a village changes as they prepare for war. Relationships change, responsibilities change and what is really important becomes evident.
As the father and son walked through the village and sold their goods, I could smell the food and see the bright colors. It was a beautiful story.

This was a beautifully illustrated book that gives children a glimpse into war from the perspective of a child. A book to read over again.