Review: Many Things At Once

Many Things at Once

by Veera Hiranandani, illustrated by Nadia Alam

Random House Studio (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2025

Category: Picture Books

Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall

 

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In poignant language, Many Things At Once is the story of a young girl whose mother is Jewish, father is Hindu, and ancestors are from India, Poland, and Russia. The main character sometimes feels that she is part of every place. She sometimes feels that she is not part of any place. But, how can that be? She watches a butterfly, recalling that her teacher taught that each butterfly is different. Like the butterfly, she, too, is different. She watches the butterfly sip nectar. The butterfly is part of the big, beautiful world. She, too, is part of the big, beautiful world. Different from everyone, yet part of the whole. Sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes like nothing...at all. She is many things at once, as we all are. Exquisite illustrations by Nadia Alam beautifully illustrate that, yes, like the butterfly and its relation to flowers, roots, and the world, we are all part of a great whole. And, yes, as the author says in her note, it's okay to be and feel many things at once.

Like its title, this book is indeed many things at once. It's Jewish and Hindu with foods and holidays, histories and languages to match. It's the history of Jews having to leave Poland and Russia, of Hindus having to leave Pakistan. It's foods like pakoras and dal, latkes and matza ball soup. It's Hebrew at the seder with the main character's mother's side and Hindi with cousins with the main character's father's side. It's the first-person story of a girl who is part Jewish and part Hindu...and one hundred percent American. For this reader, Many Things At Once reflects the American experiment at its best - where all are welcome to their religious and cultural beliefs and practices and where no tradition or belief system interferes with another. Written from the author's authentic Jewish and Hindu heritages, this is an important book for every library.

 

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Reviewer Linda Elovitz Marshall is an award-winning author of more than two dozen fiction and non-fiction picture books. She studied cultural anthropology at Barnard College/Columbia University. After living on a farm, raising four children and a small flock of sheep, then pursuing a Ph.D. in anthropology, and owning a bookstore, Linda began writing for children. Her Jewish-themed books include THE POLIO PIONEER: Dr. Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine, GOOD NIGHT, WIND, The MEXICAN DREIDEL (with Ilan Stavans) and BRAVE VOLODYMYR: The Story of Volodymyr Zelensky and the Fight for Ukraine with illustrations by Ukrainian artist Grasya Oliyko (HarperCollins).