When a Brooklyn boy receives a bottle in the mail, it sends him on an imaginary journey to visit his grandfather in Iran. The opened bottle emits a powerful wind that sweeps the boy across the ocean, over the mountains, and “through the city where my father was born . . . into the arms of my Baba Bozorg.” There he shares tea and conversation with his grandfather, who tells the boy that he can return anytime he wants to visit. “Just open the bottle, and the wind will bring you to me.” A final note and the jacket flap copy describe how the author’s husband left Iran in 1978, a month before the Iranian revolution began. Years later, his father sent a package to his seven-year-old grandson in Brooklyn. Whimsical illustrations effectively use collage and map backgrounds to track the boy’s journey to his distant relative. Highly Commended, 2007 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 4–8)

Winner of the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award, Mystery Bottle is a delightful picture book about a boy in Brooklyn and his grandfather in Iran that shows us that love has no borders.

When a boy in Brooklyn opens a mysterious package from Iran, he finds more than just a bottle—he discovers a portal to his grandfather. Swept away by a magical wind, he is carried across oceans and mountains to his Baba Bazorg’s arms. In this beautifully illustrated picture book, author and artist Kristen Balouch shows how love transcends borders, politics, and distance, based on her family’s circumstances.

With dynamic, cut-paper-style artwork rich in cultural detail, Mystery Bottle is a heartwarming celebration of family, imagination, and the unbreakable connection between generations.