After the rains Kavya and her family are flooded out of their home, again. As with many they are forced to make a decision about rebuilding and probably being forced out again or relocating to another place and starting over. A realistic introduction to climate migration for young readers, this is a must have title for developing climate conscious learners.

I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it!

A story teaching kids about climate migration in a way that they can understand. By using real events.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book is a good way to introduce the topic of climate change and climate migration to younger readers. The story is sad but also hopeful.

This is about a storm, which may be hard to recover from. The child and her family must leave because the storm is so bad and it’s destroying their home. When they come back, there’s a question if they could stay. At the very beginning of the book, the authors tell you that this is what the book is about, and that sometimes the answer is not easy. But everybody should be prepared as much as possible for natural disasters. Even if you don’t live in a tropical island, this is a great book to talk about surviving big events and rebuilding when needed.

I have been sitting on the review to Seeking Shanti for a while now, trying to put into words why it just didn't land with me. I rarely ever give a children's book a poor review, but overall this just did not work for me.
I did enjoy the illustration, was happy to see a glossary explaining key term used throughout the narration, I also thought that the discussion questions in the back were good and useful and the foreword was promising.
But unfortunately what the foreword promised, it did not deliver.
What didn't work for me? Firstly, the narrative itself. It seemed a bit clunky, disjointed and lacking context.
More than once did I have to go back to make sure I had not accidentally skipped a page. Where did those airplanes come from, and why are they flying through a storm? The area where they seek shelter is introduced as "a place where some people are crying..." and it elicits no feeling of at least being safe for the moment while they wait out the storm. I am just not sure that this is the best description for the age group we are targeting, especially not as in this time of rapid climate change (as was pointed out in the foreword) many of them may find themselves at emergency shelters at some point in their lives.
Overall after reading the foreword, I expected a tale of people coming together to help each other, and yet the only example I saw of this was a group of people pushing a tree out of the way. I also expected a cautionary tale regarding climate change, its consequences and possible courses of action to prevent future catastrophes. And yet, there was no reference made to any of this at all. Furthermore, I do not typically appreciate children's books to conclude open ended. Kids would have really enjoyed seeing a rebuilt house at the end, and really that's what they expect to find. Strength. Resilience. Hope.
I am not sure this book delivered either of these things satisfactorily.

For reasons unknown, this has five people credited to it – and it's mediocre at best. An Indian coastal family have to flee a storm, then they get to go home again – but to what? The purpose of the story is almost better done in the foreword than the narrative itself. Save the planet and choose a better environmentally-minded story.

What might you do if your community is ravaged by a natural disaster? Seeking Shanti is meant to spark a conversation around this topic, and it comes prepared with discussion questions and context. Inspired by the creators’ experience when their hometown of Chennai flooded, the text gently encourages readers to find hope and not only “look for the helpers” but to become the helpers as well. I would recommend this book to teachers doing units on climate disasters and parents of children who are looking to discuss a recent disaster.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own."


Good book to educate children about climate disasters.

I enjoyed the discussion questions and activities at the end of the book to further teach and make sure that the message is understood.

This was a beautifully illustrated book about a family experiencing a natural disaster and being displaced from their home. Books like this are really important for kids to have access to, both to work through hard themes and to use as windows and/or mirrors. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book for review!

Seeking Shanti is a lovely story about home, with the central theme of a natural disaster. Both the illustrations and writing are engaging, and would be great for younger kids.

A deeply moving story with a lovely storyline, illustration, and color grading. By using a natural disaster as a central theme, it points out the importance of home as the most comfortable and memorable place.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy.

Thank you to Baker & Taylor, Paw Prints Publishing, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this title to read and review. This book did a lovely job giving faces and a narrative to the very-real and timely matter of climate migration. Most families do not want to leave their homes when natural disasters like storms and floods come through, but their stories continue on and they may always ache for what they left behind. I appreciated this message throughout the book, and also the author-illustrator team's messages about their own personal experiences with evacuations and climate disasters.

The cover illustrations was captivating. It is very good for using in the classroom to capture students attention and to have an open ended discussion and making inferences about the story we will be reading.

I appreciated the glossary of terms at the beginning. It would help students and young readers to become familiar with the terms read in the story.

I enjoyed the letter at the beginning of the book. It shows a real life connection to the story.

The story itself was beautifully written, and touching. The story itself features strong resilient characters. I felt the emotions the characters were feeling and the illustrations helped me feel I could see what was happening to this family and made me feel as if I was part of the story.

I also appreciated the discussion questions at the end. They would be very helpful to extend the lessons this book offers and make the children reading this book think of the reason behind the story, and why this is helpful for us.

It was a very good educational story while also being entertaining and a beautiful family story.

"Seeking Shanti" written by Jesse Byrd and Sandy Kaur Gill, with illustrations by Monica Paola Rodriguez, is a thrilling tale. Words and illustrations combine to show the rising storm and the urgency and fear as Kavya and her family flee a storm and rising water. When the storm passes they must find their way back and rebuild. A wonderful story of resilience and family, and the importance of home. This book is a treasure.

The book includes discussion questions for families and educators to enrich the experience, and bring into focus some current issues. Good book for reading and discussion with 6-10 year olds, but enjoyable as a story for younger kids as well.

"Because on the end, all they wanted was Shanti"

A beautiful story about home and family. It also cleverly weaves the meanings of certain words into the story that make it more enjoyable and interesting. A town named peace, a dog named friend—and Kavya named Kavya. It's so good, really, and I think this would be so perfect for little children!

A very touching story with lovely prose that teaches children about climate disasters and flooding, and how families have worked together to make it through such moments and rebuild after.

I enjoyed this book! It's about a family who had to leave their home in Shanti due to natural disaster. Definitely could be a tool to provoke conversation around natural disaster preparedness, developing empathy towards people affected by natural disasters, and also discussion about the meaning of home / "shanti."
The illustration in the book is lovely, it conveys the story and the mood really well. I also like that the authors provided a glossary at the beginning of the book, and a set of discussion questions at the end.

This touching story is about being displaced after a natural disaster. It may be set in India, but the feeling of the main character, Kavya, and her family and their experiences are pretty universal. It is a great introduction for kids to understand the impact of natural disasters. I very much appreciated the presence of Indian names (regionally accurate as well) and words. Fueled my kids' curiosity about the words and the subject.
Word of caution though, if you have sensitive kids- my sensitive child cried during certain sections.

Great picture book about what home can be when disaster strikes. There is uncertainty as this family must abandon their home. Together is what makes a family and home is where people are together, are important lessons to teach when disasters strike.