Nikoo Yahyazadeh’s Yasi and Mina’s Pomegranate Tree (9781534113237, $18.99) receives inviting illustrations by Serineh Eliasian as it surveys the rigors of friendship tested in Iran by two best friends who love a pomegranate tree.

Their childhood is impacted by life in a war-torn environment as Iran wars with Iraq, forcing the friends to face parental decisions that impact their lives.

This lovely story of friendship against all odds, life in Iran, and adapting a relationship to change evolves is delightfully absorbing and thought-provoking.