"My name is Salih. I carry my home on my back, on long roads ... across fields and arid land. We are heading to the sea."
[About the name Salih: The name Salih is primarily a male name of Arabic origin that means Virtuous.]
This is the text above is from the first two pages of Salih. I hope it might make you curious:
- Why is this child carrying his 'home' on his back? Is that even possible?
- Where is this place? It sounds harsh - an arid land.
- Will the child find safety at the sea? Where will his journey take him? Why does he have to leave?
Here is the next sentence:
"Many others carry what remains of their homes. We have left our entire worlds behind, fleeing with our memories."
Think about the impact of the word 'fleeing'.
Salih has memories of good times eating ice cream and enjoying school.
He also remembers bombs falling and destruction. In the new place, a city of tents, Salih sees an old man painting on discarded paper. Salih gathers his friends from the camp and everyone begins to draw and paint. An old lady paints her rose garden. Go back and find this painting on the title page.
Salih gathers up the paintings. He knows everyone needs to find a better place to live. This place of tents is only temporary. He rolls up the paintings and slips them into bottles. When the family reach the sea - which is the next part of their dangerous journey, Salih's bottles are tossed into the waves. If I tell you there is a rainbow on the last page you will know the family do reach safety.
Here is another text sample from this book. Think about the power of the language used here:
"The sea is angry for the homes we've lost. It rages about our shattered lives. Our empty stomachs lurch and the blistered soles of our feet thrum."
There is a gentle reference in this book to roses. The most popular flower in the world and the resemblance of passion, red rose, is the national flower of Iran. Rose or Gol-e Sorkh is used in Persian literature and poetry to represent the beauty of the loved one.
The paired down text of this book will allow readers to ‘join the dots’ about Salih and it is wonderful to see the way the illustrator has interpreted the text giving a deeper insight into the world Salih has left behind. I am especially thinking of the illustration where the child is blowing bubbles. The themes of displacement and hope are handled so well. This is a book you could share with a younger child or as an important discussion starter with older students. A great deal of skill has gone into this book and this can be seen in the way the illustrations and text complement one another. The pages where the ocean waves threaten to engulf the little wooden boat which now resembles the turtle shell, really stand out. Yes, there are lots of other books about the refugee experience, but this beautifully told story is a worthy addition to that literary cannon.
Salih is a 2022 CBCA Picture Book of the Year Notable title.
Here is a set of very detailed teachers notes which includes discussion questions for each double spread in this book. And here is a second set from the publisher Ford Street. Here is the web site for the illustrator Anne Ryan. Here is an interview with Anne where she talks about her process of illustrating this book. And here is an interview with the author Inda Ahmad Zahi.
I would link this with all of these:
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