Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen

Being the new kid is hard. And wearing something that might seem odd to other kids is even harder.

Being the new kid is hard. And wearing something that might seem odd to other kids is even harder.

Rostam and Maman recently moved to the United States, and Baba is still working in Iran. Now it's picture day at school, and Rostam doesn't want to wear his pusteen. Even though Baba wore it when he was little, and it's beautiful and soft, Rostam worries that the other kids will think it's weird.

But sometimes being brave means sharing your whole self with others.

"Distinctive in the way it models children who easily accept and celebrate cultural difference, this is a reassuring tale about sharing the things that make us unique."-Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, award-winning children's book author of Mommy's Khimar and Your Name Is a Song

Bank Street College of Education's Best Children's Books of the Year 2025 Selected by the Maine Humanities Council to represent the state of Maine at the Library of Congress'?2025 National Book?Festival