This month I’m sharing a few of the Perfect Picture Books I’m gifting to the grandkids when they visit for the holidays. First up, a new release from a favorite indie publisher.
Title: The Other Side of the Rocks
Written & Illustrated By: Nahid Kazemi
Publisher/Date: Enchanted Lion Books/2025
Suitable for Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: moving, adventure, change, Rumi, frog, travel, home, unknown, dreams, bravery, songbirds
Opening:
Once upon a time, a tiny frog leapt out from behind some giant rocks, entering the world with a ribbity “Hello!”
Brief Synopsis: When young Froggy meets a wise fish who tells her that another universe exists beyond the rocks, Froggy ventures off to explore this new place.
Links to Resources:
· Have you ever visited a new-to-you place? How did you feel when you arrived? How did you feel after you met people and spent more time there?
· Learn about some unusual frogs;
· Try some fun frog crafts.
Why I Like this Book:
In The Other Side of the Rocks, Kazemi uses a soft and dreamy palette of blues and greens perfect for this charming story based on a quotation from the 14th century Persian poet, Rumi: “…when you travel, you may leave home behind, but you also carry it within you and eventually return to it in a new form.”
As the story begins, readers meet Froggy, a young frog happily living with family and friends in a familiar pond. But when Froggy meets a wise fish who describes a different universe beyond the rocks, Froggy dreams about it and travels there. She befriends songbirds in this new home whose lilting music she loves and joins.
Then one day, Froggy feels the urge to return home. Back home, Froggy shares the songs she learned while away, thereby enriching it with the music from the other side of the rocks.
I love how The Other Side of the Rocks encourages young listeners to embrace the unknown, find beauty there, then share it with family and friends. What a lovely reminder to celebrate our differences, add our own voices to the mix, and share the resulting symphony.
A Note about Craft:
Kazemi is an illustrator and author who left Iran in 2014 and now resides in Canada. Leaving Iran, per Kazemi, “was a leap into the unknown” not dissimilar to the leaps Froggy took to explore The Other Side of the Rocks.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 