Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up in Iran, I never thought I would one day become an author in a language other than my mother tongue, and live clear across the world from my birthplace. An eclectic assortment of literature, representing core human themes of thinking, love, laughter, and science are subjects that help me bond with my fellow humans. Books have constantly reassured me of our similarities and encouraged me to make connections. The magical threads of our shared humanity are tools which help us thrive in our global village. They remind us we are more similar to one another than we may think.


I wrote

Book cover of My Grandma and Me

What is my book about?

While Mina is growing up in Iran, the center of her world is her grandmother. Whether visiting friends next door,…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Little Black Fish

Mina Javaherbin Why did I love this book?

In The Little Black Fish, our hero is the black fish who observes, thinks, and decides to do things his or her way. The picture book was banned in Iran because the author of the book, a beloved school teacher and thinker, spoke up passionately to advocate for children. When I lived in Iran, the country was managed by one person, the king. When one king or one idea rules with absolute power, people have minimal or no say in the way their country and lives are managed. Rulers at the top are happiest when people do not read, think, or protest the ways that their society is run. This gorgeous book encourages thinking, analyzing, speaking up, and action.

(Mina Javaherbin has read Little Black Fish in its original text, Persian. She has informed us of numerous translations of this book in English and numerous languages. This particular translation is picked by Shepherd.)

By Samad Behrangi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Little Black Fish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Little Black Fish may be small, but he has big questions about the world and the determination to find answers to them. Despite his mother's and the other fish warning him of the perils of leaving their safe haven, Little Black Fish swims over the edge of the pool, into the stream towards the river and to the sea. On his adventure Little Black Fish sees many wondrous and beautiful things, encounters danger lurking around every corner and finally is faced with his ultimate challenge...

A beautiful book about freedom, self-determination, courage and power, it's about a little fish who…


Book cover of The Ugly Duckling

Mina Javaherbin Why did I love this book?

Growing up and finding our ways in the world is a lifelong process of trials and errors. There are moments of despair and joy. Hopes can be crushed. New Dreams are born. This beloved story is one that I still think about when I see how I’m judged by all sorts as I simply mind my own life and try to find my way. In the hands of the great storyteller, Hans Christian Anderson, the metaphor of an ugly duckling becoming a gorgeous swan, tells us how overcoming our adversities will indeed help us become a beauty. Thank you Hans!

By Hans Christian Andersen, Bernadette Watts (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Ugly Duckling as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Hans Christian Andersen story about staying true to oneself, illustrated by the legendary European artist Bernadette Watts. 

The ugly duckling, outcast and misunderstood by the other animals, goes on a journey to discover a place where he will fit in… only to become triumphant when he emerges as the most beautiful swan of all, always destined to stand out. Bernadette Watts's detailed illustrations chronicle the bittersweet story with charm and poignancy.


Book cover of The Selfish Giant

Mina Javaherbin Why did I love this book?

Wilde suggested this story be read aloud. My father, ever the storyteller, obliged. He adored Wilde’s other writings as well. I remember borrowing other Oscar Wilde’s books, as a young adult, from my father’s library. However, my dad had modified the ending of The Selfish Giant by eliminating the nail and blood part. I only found out about the actual ending years later, but somehow he had managed to keep the essence of the story regardless of his change to the ending. The Selfish Giant, is a vast story with all the beautiful seasons and all the tender love a human needs. I will cherish this story in my heart, forever.

By Oscar Wilde, Jeanne Bowman (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Selfish Giant as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

A beloved tale that has lasted for generations, The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde, one of the world’s greatest writers, tells the tale of a very selfish giant, his wonderful garden, the curious and playful village children, and, of course, the little child who changes the giant’s heart. A beloved classic in English literature, The Selfish Giant may be Oscar Wilde’s greatest story of redemption and forgiveness.

Newly illustrated by renowned artist Jeanne Bowman, this fantastic edition of this famous tale showcases Wilde’s story in a pallet and composition that will delight and inspire both young and old and will…


Book cover of Now Everybody Really Hates Me

Mina Javaherbin Why did I love this book?

This hilarious picture book makes me laugh out loud every single time I read it, even when I had to read it consecutively to my children during their bedtime. I think humanity is nothing without laughter. Do animals make jokes and laugh? Sometimes we think writing and learning from the accumulation of knowledge is one of the most important human traits, but what about laughter? What about not taking ourselves seriously? What about the ability to poke fun at ourselves and our crazy actions and thoughts? Einstein was definitely a genius and we are all in awe of him, but I think people who can make us laugh are also brilliant. I’m grateful for laugh creators.

By Jane Read Martin, Roz Chast (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Now Everybody Really Hates Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Good-bye Cruel World!

Patty Jane Pepper is being unjustly punished. Her parents claim that she punched her brother Theodore. In fact, she only touched him--hard. And she didn't call him a dumbbell, either. She just called him a dumb head. Nonetheless, she's been sent to her room.

So Patty Jane decides to punish her parents back. She'll stay in her room--forever. She'll stay up really, really, really late (so that when she goes to bed it will be the next day), speak in a code that only she understands, and never, ever eat again. Unless, of course, there's something good…


Book cover of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures

Mina Javaherbin Why did I love this book?

I became familiar with this book last year and started reading and re-reading it. My children, in and out of their universities due to the pandemic, call it, Mom’s Mushroom Book. I carry the book and re-read a bit of it here and there because I’m not a science major and it takes me a while to understand books with scientific subjects. This book about fungus and how mushrooms shaped our lives is fascinating. It gives me hope that fungus will have an impact on the continuum of our earth and its species. The book opened an optimism window in my mind. I think science is the magical wand humans possess and reading scientific books is learning about the new magic spells.

By Merlin Sheldrake,

Why should I read it?

21 authors picked Entangled Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A “brilliant [and] entrancing” (The Guardian) journey into the hidden lives of fungi—the great connectors of the living world—and their astonishing and intimate roles in human life, with the power to heal our bodies, expand our minds, and help us address our most urgent environmental problems.

“Grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world.”—Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Time, BBC Science Focus, The Daily Mail, Geographical, The Times, The Telegraph, New Statesman, London Evening Standard, Science Friday

When we think…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of My Grandma and Me

What is my book about?

While Mina is growing up in Iran, the center of her world is her grandmother. Whether visiting friends next door, going to the mosque for midnight prayers during Ramadan, or taking an imaginary trip around the planets, Mina and her grandma are never far apart. At once deeply personal and utterly universal, Mina Javaherbin’s words make up a love letter of the rarest sort: the kind that shares a bit of its warmth with every reader. Soft, colorful, and full of intricate patterns, Lindsey Yankey’s illustrations feel like a personal invitation into the coziest home, and the adoration between Mina and her grandma is evident on every page.

This beautiful ode to family celebrates small moments of love that become lifelong memories.

Book cover of The Little Black Fish
Book cover of The Ugly Duckling
Book cover of The Selfish Giant

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Book cover of A Voracious Grief

Lindsey Lamh Author Of A Voracious Grief

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Old book omnivore Author of dark tales Mom to 6 Ordinary saint Intuitive introvert

Lindsey's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

My book is fantastical historical fiction about two characters who're wrestling with the monstrosity of their grief.

It takes you into London high society, where Ambrose tries to forget about how much he misses Bennett and how much he dreads becoming as cold as their Grandfather. It takes you to the family's country manor house, where Mattie isolates and old ghosts start to come out of the woodwork.

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A Voracious Grief

By Lindsey Lamh,

What is this book about?

Ambrose Bancroft returns to London society with his younger sister, hoping they'll leave ghosts of memory behind. They have only each other left. While Ambrose attempts to draw Mattie out, dragging her to balls and threatening to seek suitors for her, his sister recoils from his meddling. Finally, when Ambrose compels her to attend art class before she's ready, Mattie paints something horrific enough to banish them from society in public disgrace.

At Linwood Manor, Mattie and Ambrose aren't as alone as they think. Taking advantage of Mattie's desperate need to find freedom, a vanishing room lures Ambrose's sister into…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in fish, giants, and fungus?

Fish 62 books
Giants 8 books
Fungus 27 books