A missed opportunity to address the important, and very current, topic of refugees and asylum seekers.
Two guardian angels keep watch over a young girl both in her native Colombia and in her new home in Chicago.
The 1990s saw the South American country of Colombia reach a level of insecurity that forced many of its rural citizens to flee to safety either to the major cities or abroad. One such family found refuge in the U.S. city of Chicago. It is this family, and more specifically their young daughter, Adriana, that inspired this book. The story does not give much information on Colombia or on Adriana’s family, though, choosing instead to focus on the religious aspect of a loving God and the guardian angels sent to act on his behalf. In vibrant, warm colors the illustrations depict a brown-skinned girl with beautiful long black hair going about her life in Colombia, always under the watchful eye of two guardian angels with exuberantly colored wings. Later, as the family moves to Chicago and the color palette changes to a drab gray-and-tan one, the two guardian angels are still there to help her overcome the sadness she feels. The result is sweet, but the device of the angels keeps the story from connecting today’s readers with the very real children like Adriana. This book is also available in Spanish as Los Ángeles de Adriana.
A missed opportunity to address the important, and very current, topic of refugees and asylum seekers. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5064-1832-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sparkhouse
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
An empowering and important tale of bravery.
A Black Muslim boy must summon the courage to ask for a place at school to pray.
It’s Muhammad’s seventh birthday, and Daddy has a special gift for him: a prayer rug that’s royal blue with gold stitching and that smells of incense. Muhammad is now old enough to independently offer the five Muslim daily prayers, or salat. He packs the rug before school the next day and plans to find a private place for salat. But asking his teacher for help feels harder than anticipated—especially after seeing mean passersby jeer at his father, who prays in the open while working as an ice cream truck driver. To claim a space, Muhammad will need to be brave, just like his joyful, hardworking Daddy. Once again, Thompkins-Bigelow (Mommy’s Khimar, 2018) has written a beautiful, positive, and welcome portrayal of Black Muslim families. Her melodic writing captures Muhammad’s feelings as he works to find his voice and advocate for his needs. Aly’s playful, energetic illustrations offer a nod to Islamic art traditions and work in tandem with the text to give readers a glimpse into Muhammad’s hopes, fears, and growth. An author’s note explains what salat is, the times and names of the prayers, how it is performed, and other relevant terms used within the text. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An empowering and important tale of bravery. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781984848093
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
A beautifully written page-turner about belonging.
Badir, a newly arrived Tunisian immigrant to Canada, rallies along with his classmates to save a beaver’s natural habitat from destruction by local residents annoyed by the animal’s constant damage to surrounding trees.
Badir is captivated by what he initially thinks is a huge, swimming rat, an animal he briefly spotted in a pond on his way back from school. With the help of the internet, his teacher, classmates, and also forthcoming strangers eager to share what they know, Badir soon learns that the little creature he spied in darkness is in fact a beaver, Canada’s national symbol. He also finds out that local residents, worried by how the beaver might harm the trees around its habitat, are starting a petition to have what they regard as a pest removed from the park. Unfazed by the task ahead, Badir, along with his classmates, organizes a countercampaign—brainstorming sessions, banners, and all. Who will ultimately get the upper hand? Will the beaver saga have a happy ending? With her gentle tale, Stewart does an excellent job at promoting cultural understanding, not only by foregrounding a young Muslim character and his family, but also by setting the story during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, introducing the reader to many of its facets and doing so with effortless grace. Gendron’s black-and-white illustrations depict a multiracial urban setting.
A beautifully written page-turner about belonging. (Fiction. 6-8)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1727-2
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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