Found You by Devon Holzwarth

Sami has moved to a new country. In his old home town he had lots of friends and his mind is full of happy memories. In this new place it is hard to make friends so Sami mostly plays by himself. People in the shops and on the bus don't want to talk to Sami or help him and a girl in his Kindergarten class laughs at his name. In the afternoon Sami and his mother head over to the park. Sami is playing alone again when a small bird swoops down. She crashes straight into Sami. "I'm lost. Can you help me find my friends?" Sami carries the little bird around the park. He sees the lady from the bus. She is not scowling she is feeding the birds. This feels like a Mary Poppins moment and perhaps you will want to launch into the famous song - "Feed the birds". Also at the park that day Sami sees the baker. He shares a roll with Sami. Sami continues walking around the park looking for the flock. The girl who laughed at him in his Kindergarten class is in the park too. She kicks a ball over to Sami and a new friendship begins. The little bird flies away but then she spies another child - a little girl playing all alone. "I'm lost. Can you help me find my friends?"

Found You is a book you could use with very young children to open up a discussion about new children in the school - perhaps migrant children or refugee children. Yes this is a book about shyness but it is also about the confusion with communicating when English is not your language. Here is an interview with Devon at Kids Book Review. Found you is her debut picture book and it was published in July this year. I was interested to read her favourite illustrators are Roger Duvoisin; Adrienne Adams (The Fairy Doll Rumer Godden); Beatrice Alemagna; and Gyo Fujikawa.  Here is the website for Devon. 

With its gorgeous colour palette and superbly expressive scenes which show much more than is said in her text, Devon Holzwarth’s debut picture book is one that’s certain to foster empathy and understanding, showing how important it is to offer a welcoming environment to newcomers. It can all begin with holding out a hand (or wing) in friendship. Red Reading Hub

I would pair Found You with another book I truly treasure - Mustafa.

You could also look at My Two Blankets.