LOUJAIN DREAMS OF SUNFLOWERS

This is a story inspired by the life of Loujain AlHathloul, the Saudi women’s rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee who challenged patriarchy and continues to be unjustly persecuted.

Young Loujain dreams of flying like her dad, who literally has wings in this gently fantastical tale. She longs to see a field of sunflowers pictured in a photo given to her by her father, but the only way to get there is by flying, and girls aren’t allowed to fly. When she tells her friends about her dream of flying, they ridicule her. After a good cry in her bedroom, Loujain confronts her father: “It is not fair that I cannot fly,” she asserts. “Why not me?” Her mother agrees: “You have to believe things will change. Otherwise they never will.” A wordless montage across a double-page spread shows Loujain receiving flying lessons from her father. Soon, he is able to take her on daily practice flights at sunrise. Finally, one day, Loujain is ready for the longest flight yet—the journey to the field of a million sunflowers. Green’s illustrations, rendered in acrylic gouache and colored pencil, are beautifully representational, using plant, flower, star, moon, and sky motifs to capture the flourishing of a young girl’s potential and the scope of her ambition. Cowritten by AlHathloul’s sister (also an activist), this inspiring story is capped off with a short, informative bio of Loujain AlHathloul and a profound letter to the reader about summoning one’s courage to dream and create a better world.

Poetic, moving, and empowering.