Mina vs. the Monsoon

By Rukhsanna Guidroz and Debasmita Dasgupta

A Kirkus Reviews' Best Picture Book, 2018

Mina loves to play soccer all year round. Nothing comes close to it. But when the monsoon arrives, Mina is stuck indoors and she can’t help feeling restless and bored. Her ammi doesn’t understand. The doodhwalla doesn’t understand. That’s when Mina decides she’ll find ways of chasing away the clouds herself. In doing so, she makes an unexpected discovery. Soccer will never be the same again for Mina!

In a charming story that any kid who loves a sport will relate to, soccer-mad Mina tries just about any trick to stop the monsoon clouds from raining on her game. In doing so, she shows us glimpses of her life in a village in eastern India, highlighting the important role played by monsoon rains in this part of the world. The heart of the story, however, is the bond forged between a mother and her daughter on a gray, gloomy day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Yali Publishing LLC
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781949528916

Book preview

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Reviews for Mina vs. the Monsoon

[mabith_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good book for younger readers, toddlers especially. I liked having the glossary/pronunciation guide in the back, and fairly good illustrations. Nice introduction to the idea of monsoons for American children, and a great ending.

[bogreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mina is stuck indoors while the monsoon rains pour down. She misses playing soccer and impatiently waits despite trying to do indoor activities. Mina feels that her mother just doesn't understand her frustrations until her mother surprises her with the new information. After many days of waiting Mina is able to go outside and play her favorite sport.

[hikatie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm excited to give this sweet book to my toddler nephew - it's cute, colorful, and fun, and I'm happy it tells the story of a girl who loves sports, who belongs to culture outside of his own, and offers fun opportunities to learn bits of a new language. I'm not sure the book is a classic for the ages, but it will be a fun part of his collection that I'm sure will make it into rotation.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mina vs. the Monsoon is a charming picture book for 4-8 year olds by Rukhsanna Guidroz. I received it as an ER book. A monsoon in Mina's South Asian village makes it rain and rain and rain, and she wants to play soccer with her beloved soccer ball (football). Her mother won't let her out; Mina thinks "she has never felt the explosion of happiness when you score a goal." But her mother understands better than Mina realizes. Mina tries all sorts of funny ploys to stop the rain; in searching for help in the house, she finds out something unexpected about her mother. When the clouds finally go away, she and her mother venture out together.It features some Hindu/Urdu phrases with a glossary in the back. An athletic girl in a part of the world we're not that familiar with, who just wants the rain to stop, and who learns she has more in common with her mother than she knew. Sweet.The illustrations by Debasmita Dasgupta are lively and fit the story well.

[sylliu_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this lively picture book, all Mina wants to do is play soccer, but an impending monsoon ruins her plans. Her mom doesn't understand her, and all her efforts to magic away the monsoon fail. Told with colorful illustrations and interspersed with Urdu and Hindi words (with a glossary in the back, as well as context clues in the text), this story both entertains and teaches about Indian culture.

[jennifer_long-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lovely story about a young girl who is stuck inside during monsoon season in India. She entertains herself by exploring cultural traditions while longing to play soccer. The book neatly weaves Urdu and Hindi words within the story exposing readers to the cultural nuances. A nice guide appears at the end of the book with definitions and pronunciations. The author says in her note that playing a sport helps young, rural Indian women challenge the idea that a girl's place in the world is at home. The ending of Mina vs. the Monsoon certainly promotes this idea while also celebrating the family traditions in the home. The bright colors and bright-eyed characters make the illustrations pop. The peacocks, especially, define the artist's unique style.

[eo206 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to read this book with my elementary age child because it is by an author of color, featuring a girl of color. The girl in the story wants to play soccer but the rain is forcing her to stay inside. The story is about the girl figuring out what to do while she waits out the rain, and as this happens Indian culture, food, and language are shared with the reader. As I read this aloud with my kid we talked about feelings since the girl says she is sad about not being able to play soccer, weather (what is a monsoon), and food (what is a samosa -- so delicious). It also shows some great family bonding moments and ends with a happy note. Overall a great book to share and have as part of a library or classroom collection.

[jesslaw-747964 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Mina Vs. the Monsoon is an simple book about a girl who wants to play soccer. She is upset because the rain and her mother are keeping her indoors. The story line is so so. The book begins with a thunderstorm and "Ammi" saying Mina will catch a cold if she plays in the rain. Mina goes off to try different things to get rid of the rain. The plot falls apart when she finds her mother's soccer jersey from when she was a girl. Why did she not just tell her daughter up front that she could identify with her? The illustrations in this book are very nice, but for me the story fell flat. I would check this book out of the library to give my young children a feel for India. The paragraph in the back of the book stating what it hopes to accomplish is also a bit disconcerting. I understand that arranged marriages with young girls may still be a problem in some parts of India, but I think the sentence stating "challenges the idea that a girl's place in the world is at home." could be modified to state that it challenges the idea that the only place for a girl is in the home. As a stay at home mom who loves nurturing and teaching her children I find that so many of these books promoting "girl power" downplay the very important job of caring for children. While this job can be done by both men and women, it still must be done and to say it isn't worth pursuing does a disservice to many girls who will ultimately grow into women staying at home caring for children. There doesn't need to be guilt attached to that choice, as if these girls have shorted themselves. For that reason, I don't recommend this book for anything more than a simple cultural look into a different country.

[melaniehope · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of Mina vs. the Monsoon is about a young girl in India who would rather be outside playing soccer than inside waiting for the rains to stop. Although her mom tries to tempt her with baking, she has her mind set on thinking up ways to get the rain to go away. The illustrations are very vivid and colorful which will be appealing to the younger audience. Both Urdu and Hindi words are used throughout the book with a short glossary at the end. I also appreciate the explanation that many organizations set up soccer games for girls to help combat child marriages by building self confidence and helps them stay in school. I received a complimentary copy through the Librarything Early Reviewers.

[kesterbird · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

--received as part of Librarything's Early Review program--This is a sweet story; I enjoyed it and will pass it on to my niblings. The illustrations... well... those are some weird eyes, but otherwise they work well with the story.