Taking Flight by Kashmira Sheth illustrated by Nicolo Carozzi

Opening sentence: "You might have come from a highland home, where clouds dance with snowy peaks, and shed tears as you hugged your grandmother, gathering her warmth in your fists."

This is the child with the red scarf on the book cover. 

We follow three difference families - from Tibet, Syria and Ukraine - as they pack their bags and leave behind all that they have known in search of safety and a place to call home. 

"Maybe you left your beloved city with sparkling, domed-roof churches. And when you grabbed your doll and fled, it was to the loud BOOMs of war, and a flock of pigeons taking flight."

The three children don't immediately reach their new home. The arrive hungry, exhausted and worn-out and even though they are safe a tent in a Refugee Camp is not a home. But what of the new land? It is so hard there too. The language is strange, and the sights and sounds and smells are all so strange. And then the three kids head to their first day at a new school?

I would use the illustration on the final page of worn-out shoes as a to introduce this book to your group of library students in grades 4 to 6. I have a Pinterest collection entitled The Refugee Experience through Picture Books.

Thinking about shoes - try to find this book:

Grandma's Treasured Shoes

Here was my dilemma - in Canada we visited several fabulous book shops (there's list in this previous blog post) but I cannot carry a heavy bag so I could only buy one or two picture books and one or two novels.

I wanted to find fairly new book, perhaps by a Canadian author or illustrator, with (in the case of a picture book) fabulous illustrations and also a book that I couldn't very easily find in Australia.  My friend and I had around ten titles on our wish list but then I spied Taking Fight. It is not by a Canadian author or illustrator but it covers an important topic in a gentle and heartfelt way with especially beautiful illustrations. I didn't hesitate to buy this book.

Writing in second person, directly addressing the displaced children, Sheth compassionately acknowledges the heartbreak they’ve endured and underscores their resilience. Carozzi’s soft and detailed digitally enhanced graphite illustrations evoke the tenderness of Sheth’s text. Shifting perspectives through wide shots and close-ups reinforce an idea of shared and personal experiences. The final spread of a child swinging against a blue sky (with the help of another, as shown on the previous page) emphasizes the hope and community support that are so crucial as young refugees build new lives. Kirkus

As a story standing on its own, this is powerful and engaging, deeply moving and hopeful. As an example of universal experiences and needs, it is priceless.  Unpacking the Power of Picture Books

This book is written, as I said, in prose, but the precision of the emotion and pace makes it feel like a poem. This is the human side of the refugee experience. It aches and evokes. It's a Picture Book World

Here in Australia this book costs around AUS$45. My copy was CAN$25. Kashmira Sheth was born in India and came to the US when she was seventeen to attend Iowa State University, where she received a BS in microbiology. She is the author of several award-winning picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels.  Here are some other books by Kashmira Sheth:

You can see more art by Nicolo Carozzi here.

My name is Bana by Bana Alabed illustrated by Nez Riaz

I am named after a tall bushy tree that grows in Syria.

"It was good that Momma and Baba gave me this very special name because when war came to my country, I had to be strong just like the tree ... When bombs fell from the sky, I had to be very brave even though it was loud and scary and we always had to hide."

Publisher note: “I just want to live without fear.” —Bana Alabed, Twitter, October 12, 2016 

When seven-year-old Bana Alabed took to Twitter to describe the horrors she and her family were experiencing in war-torn Syria, her heartrending messages touched the world and gave a voice to millions of innocent children. Written in Bana’s own words, this picture book offers a uniquely intimate child’s perspective on one of the biggest humanitarian crises in history. Bana has lost her best friend, her school, her home, and her homeland. But she has not lost her hope—for herself and for other children around the world who are victims and refugees of war and deserve better lives.

You could share this book with younger children in a school library but it would be an even more powerful text to use with a senior primary class especially if you are talking about refugees and The Rights of the Child. 

"My best friend Yasmin was killed, and my house was destroyed. My family and I had to live on the streets of Aleppo with little food or water or medicine. We didn't know if we would live or die."

Here is Bana's first tweet - I NEED PEACE hashtag #standwithaleppo

Bana Alabed now lives in Turkey and she travels the world to share her story and her hope that children around the world can live in peace. See inside this book here. 

An important addition to children’s literature about refugees, featuring a young activist’s own story. Kirkus

Companion books:

Amira's suitcase

My name is not Refugee

For older students: Sea Prayer

Tomorrow

Vanishing Colors

Nour's Secret Library by Wafa Tarmowska illustrated by Vali Mintzi

Nour lives in Damascus and it is/was a beautiful place until the war arrived with noisy guns and huge tanks. Nour and her cousin Amir decide to form a secret society but before the group can even meet bombs begin to fall on their part of the city.  Everyone is evacuated to a basement. It is crowded and dark but people find comfort in reading by torch or candle light. During the day, while the soldiers rest, the people who have been hiding take the chance to grab a few things from their homes along with searching for the little food that is available. On a trip outside to find bread, Amir notices there are books in the streets. Soon everyone is gathering up small piles of books and carrying them to the basement so the children decide to start a secret library. 

"Every book was like a person waiting to be loved, with a unique personality and soul."

The children find another empty basement where they can store all the books - moving only a few at a time so as not to be detected. Using discarded wood  they build some shelves and they are also able to add other discarded furniture - chairs and cushions. Then people begin to use their library. 

"I guess reading keeps everyone's mind busy ... books don't fight with each other like people do."

This book is based on true events. Young people in Daraya a town in the southwest of Damascus saved around 15,000 books and created a library.

A warm, engaging, and informative book that’s a valuable addition to children’s literature about war and conflict. Kirkus

This book shows the spirit of the children and communicates that no matter the devastation around them, they will still find a way to dream of a better world. ... Based on the author’s and illustrator’s personal experiences, this unique war story is full of hope and resilience that shines through even the worst of situations. School Library Journal

This is a truly international book from the wonderful publisher Barefoot Books. The author was born in Lebanon and has lived around the world including India, Cyprus, Australia and UAE. She now lives in UK and Poland. The illustrator was born in Romania and she lives in Jerusalem. Vali Mintzi is the illustrator of The Girl with the Brave Heart which is a book which had a huge impact on me. 

Here are some other picture books about the conflict in Syria:

Tomorrow

Vanishing Colors

This book would be a perfect addition to a high school library or to share with upper Primary students who have read or are reading any of these wonderful novels:

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

Escape from Aleppo

A House without Walls

This book neatly matches the ethos of IBBY.  Here are a couple of other books about the importance of libraries during times of conflict.

Love in the Library

The Lady with the Books

Escape from Aleppo by NH Senzai

Nadia is living through the Arab Spring. She has memories of happier times - shopping, visits to hair salons, new clothes and her large extended family enjoying everyday life. Then the civil war begins. Nadia herself is hit with shrapnel and her family decide to flee but Nadia is left behind. She knows where her father and mother are heading. It is not a great distance in normal circumstances but now there is danger everywhere and Nadia must travel on foot through the dangerous city. She meets a mysterious stranger - Ammo Mazen. He has a cart and a donkey and a puzzling network of connections all over Aleppo. Should Nadia trust this man? Why is he offering to help her? Two other young boys join their tiny group. Nadia now needs to protect them too. But time is running out. Will her family still be waiting at the border? 

I have listed Escape from Aleppo as a Young Adult title. I would recommend it (highly) for readers aged 12+. 

Here are a couple of text quotes from this first person narrative which takes place over just five days:

"A surge of relief flooded through Nadia as she eyed the old man. She knew better than to assume he was no threat, but at least he didn't look like a soldier or a cold-blooded assassin."

"They emerged onto one of the main arteries that ran through the bazaar, lit by skylights embedded in the vaulted ceiling, revealing the extent of the destruction. Nothing much of the souq's rich glory remained, except for hints of the past, strewn on the floor: turquoise shards of pottery, a muddied rug, and torn wisps of bright silk."

Through Nadia’s conversations with other characters and through extensive exposition, readers learn about the impressively vast and complex history of Aleppo and of Syria. The Arab Spring is also treated in detail. Nadia’s flashbacks give insight to life under dictatorship and the drastic changes introduced by war. Kirkus

Escape from Aleppo is a must-read middle grade novel for understanding the evolution of the current political environment in the troubled country of Syria. Ms Yingling

Here is an interview with the author. And here are some teaching ideas and link from the School Library Journal. 

In 2013 I talked about a previous book by NH Senzai - Shooting Kabul. I loved Shooting Kabul - such a haunting story - which is why I ordered Escape from Aleppo.

In some high school English classes students are encouraged to read widely on a topic.  Escape from Aleppo should be included with these other wonderful books about the war in Syria:

No Ballet shoes in Syria

Fox girl and the White Gazelle

A House without Walls

I would also pair this book with Orange's in No Man's Land which has a similar harrowing journey across a war zone and through dangerous check points. 

Oranges in No Man's Land

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Our town used to be 

a place for people to laugh and enjoy

all the things that unite them like

family and sunshine and the sea and good food.

Not the things that divide them like

opinions and political loyalties.

Other words for Home is a verse novel and as is always the way with this genre it packs an emotional punch and it contains a strong, truthful, heartfelt and emotional journey for the reader. 

Publisher blurb Harper Collins: Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

Poetic, immersive, hopeful. Kirkus Star review

Free Verse makes the story feel more personal and accessible for all reading levels. Reading Ladies

I enjoyed this book tremendously, and thought it was a great depiction of a student struggling in a new country. As both a mirror and a window book, this is fantastic. Ms Yingling Reads

Read some more review comments here. 

Awards

• 2020 JOHN NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
• 2020 WALTER AWARDS HONOR BOOK
• 2020 LEE BENNET HOPKINS POETRY PRIZE HONOR
• 2020 CHARLOTTE HUCK AWARD HONOR BOOK
• ALSC 2020 NOTABLE BOOK
• NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
• 2019 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

Companion reads:

A house without walls

No Ballet shoes in Syria

Fox girl and white gazelle

Picture Book Month Day 18

Sometimes the back story which explains how a picture book came to be written or illustrated can be just as interesting as the book itself. This is certainly true for Stepping Stones: A refugee family's journey.

This book was published in 2017 in Canada. I am so thrilled to report that it is still in print and available here in Australia for a really good price.  By chance Margariet Rurrs saw the art of Nizar Ali Badr. She persevered through language and distance issues and made contact with him. Together they have created an amazing picture book.

The other wonderful aspect of this book is the use of dual languages on each page - English and Arabic. You will want to pair this with a wonderful Australian picture book -  Mirror by Jeannie Baker.

Here are some review comments:

An astonishing book that allows the humanity of refugees to speak louder than politics and introduces readers to one of Syria's incredible artists. Kirkus Star review

This is a heartfelt and essential book that allows families and schools to share the plight of refugees worldwide and inspire compassion and understanding in children. Kids' Book Review

Here are some other books that explore the war in Syria (picture books and novels):

Tomorrow

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

A House without Walls

Azzi in Between

Fox Girl and White Gazelle

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

"In my mind I did this book for Syrian kids ... but when I read it here in the UK it was an amazing experience ... children are curious about what's going on ... they empathise in a beautiful way." Nadine Kaadine

"The whole idea of the book (is) how do you go out of your dark space. How do you deal with what's going on around you? ... You can do drawing and painting.  And tomorrow will be better." Nadine Kaadine

Yazan wants to play outside. He wants to go to the park. He wants to ride his bike. He wants his mum and dad to spend time with him. He wants things to back back to the way they were before.

"Now the minute (his mum) woke up she would watch the news with the volume turned up so loud."

Yazan tries to keep busy with drawing and the construction of a pillow castle but looking at his red bike his need to get outside becomes quite desperate. 

"He knew his mother would be angry if he left without her permission."

Yazan steps outside but everything is different. There are no other children playing on the street, the food vendors are gone. Yazan does not know where to go or what to do. Then his father arrives and takes him back inside. No one is cross. His mother picks up her paintbrushes and paints and the pair head into Yazan's room where she paints the park of his dreams. For now it is not safe to go outside but there is a sense of hope that one day, perhaps even tomorrow, that might change.

Tomorrow was originally written in Arabic. Lantana, the publisher do not list a translator so I am assuming that since Nadine now lives in London she may have done the translation herself. I purchased this book as part of my preparation for a library conference on the topic International Picture books. The organisers have asked me to focus on books for students aged 10-14. 

The war in Syria is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. As of March 2020, nearly 600 thousand people have been killed or are missing as a result of the war. More than 2 million people have been injured and now live with permanent disabilities. 

More than 6.7 million people have had to leave their homes due to violence, but remain in Syria and are known as internally displaced persons. Another 6.6 million people have had to leave Syria, becoming refugees. Together, that’s more than 13.5 million people who have fled their homes. That number is more than half of Syria’s pre-war population. Since the war started, more than 1 million Syrian children have been born in neighbouring countries as refugees. Kidsboostimmunity

Tomorrow is a book you could share with a group of younger children aged 7+ but I think it could also be used as a discussion starter with an older group. You might like to use this video as a way to help your students understand a little more about the impact of the war in Syria and how it has affected the children. 

Kaadan crafts a happy ending within an active war context, no easy feat ... Kirkus

Yazan used to go to the park, he used to ride his bike, he used to paint pictures with his mother but things have changed; now his mother watches the television news with the sound turned up loud and his father makes lots of phone calls.  Simple, stark, gloomy and dark watercolor and pencil illustrations show Yazan’s empty world where he is not even allowed to go outside.  It is not safe.  There is a war on.  This is Syria and it is the present day.  As the author tells us, many Syrian children are living a life like Yazan’s, waiting and hoping for a better, happier tomorrow. Youth Services Book reviews

This story is unique in a number of ways. Instead of focusing on people fleeing their country it focuses on the experience of a boy in his home as it is besieged by war. Reading Pebbles

A book which promotes empathy and gives children a space to ask questions about the more frightening things in the world. Book Murmurmation

In this video Nadine talks about the impact of the war in Syria on her work. You can see Nadine's other books here on her website. Only two are available in English - Tomorrow and The Jasmine Sneeze.  Nadine was born in Syria but moved to the UK in 2012 when the war began. You can read more about this experience here.  In this interview, Nadine talks about the importance of book translation and the implications for publishers. You can hear Nadine read he book in Arabic and then English on this video (I suggest you begin around the 19 minute mark). 

Companion reads:

Azzi in Between

The Colour of Home

Vanishing Colors

If you are working with a group of older students you might introduce them to these middle grade novels about the war in Syria:

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

A House without Walls