Told from the perspective of a young refugee girl, debut children's book author and New Voices winner Maham Khwaja tells the story of a family forced to flee their home due to violence. Emotive illustrations by Daby Zainab Faidhi balance the family's love for one another and hope for the future with the harrowing journey to escape on foot, travel by boat, and then finally resettle in a safe place. Through it all, the young girl tries to hold on to all the pieces of her life before and find a way to rebuild a sense of home.
Ages 5 to 10.
"Written in verse, her powerful book captures both the terror of displacement and brief but meaningful moments of tenderness. Never shying away from the harsher details of migration, neither does she reduce the story to its trauma, creating a nuanced tale that will both inform those lucky enough to enjoy geographic stability and feel familiar to those who aren't. Popping with vivid colors, Faidhi's illustrations have a sweetness that tempers the story's bleaker moments. A moving and enlightening depiction of the refugee experience." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review
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