“In Iran, the Caspian Sea looked endless, blue, and beautiful. How will the sea look in Brooklyn?” wonders a little girl going to the beach for the first time since moving to the United States. She’s used to the beach on the Caspian Sea where there were rules, and a big curtain in the water separating men and boys from women and girls. Once a group of boys peeked through a hole in the curtain. “The Islamic beach guards ran to fix the holes in the curtain. It was chaos! But it was fun. Will it be fun in Brooklyn, too?” There was ice cream at the beach in Iran, and the saffron-flavored ice cream was her favorite. It turns out there is no saffron ice cream at Coney Island, but another girl encourages her to try chocolate crunch, and it’s good, too! So is being at a (new) beach with a (new) friend. The tenor of the narrative and the whimsical illustrations play off each other well as they depict cultural differences and make other comparisons without setting anything up as “the norm.” (Ages 4–7)

A joyous celebration of a girl's first family outing in a new country

"With her colorful, exuberant folk-art illustrations and upbeat, friendly tone, Rashin makes a daunting cross-cultural leap seem as easy as a summer breeze." -- New York Times Book ReviewRashin is excited about her first visit to the beach in her family's new home. On the way there, she remembers what beach trips were like in Iran, the beautiful Caspian Sea, the Persian music, and most of all, the saffron ice cream she shared with her best friend, Azadeh. But there are wonderful things in this new place as well -- a subway train, exciting music... and maybe even a new friend!