The Boy and the Elephant

Sophie Rosen ,

Blackwood, Freya. The Boy and the Elephant. New York: Random House Studio, 2024.
There is something wonderfully relaxing about ‘reading’ a wordless picture book. Everything except the page in front of me disappears as I look at the illustrations and tell myself the story. Skimming is impossible, so time slows down. And this story of a little boy trying to save the trees on a piece of city land is incredibly suitable for a book that requires readers to slow down.
What is happening in the pictures? How can you tell? What else do you notice? How does this story remind you of your own experiences? What do you think the author wants you to remember? The gentle picture book is recommended as a read-aloud to inspire conversations with children 5 to 8 years old. 

More wordless picture books

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Where Butterflies Fill the Sky

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Marwan, Zahra. Where Butterflies Fill the Sky. New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2022.
How does it feel to be stateless? How can someone can belong to no country, at all? What future is there for people born in a country that will not permit them to receive medical care, go to public school or college, or get married?
This quietly wistful picture book tells the story of a little girl leaving the land of her birth and moving to a new country. The layout of the sentences on the pages – spread out across the full-page illustrations – add to the feeling of floating from one place to another. The soft dreamy colours of the ink and watercolour drawings add to the feeling of not truly belonging anywhere. In an extensive afterward, the author explains why her family left Kuwait to immigrate to New Mexico. She also explains the memories and symbols shown in her illustrations. Highly recommended as a read-aloud for children 5 years old and up and for older students learning about world politics.

More stories of migrants

More picture book memoirs

Using picture books and novels to learn about the world 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Zia’s Story

Sophie Rosen , ,

Qayumi, Shahnaz. Zia’s Story. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2024.
What makes a story appealing to me? It’s not the plot line. It’s not the characters. It’s not the setting, even though I enjoy historical fiction. It is the voice that makes a story come alive. The character’s voice, rather than the author’s voice inserting itself and destroying the illusion required for me to become immersed in an alternate world.
Zia’s Story starts a bit stiffly, all in grammatically correct sentences and narrated in a straight-forward matter-of-fact style. But rapidly, that voice becomes real, the entirely believable voice of a reporter recording events of political upheaval.
Twelve-year-old Zia, the main character, watches his father being arrested shortly before the Russian army withdraws from Afghanistan. He witnesses the changes as the Taliban take over his country. He explains how he and his mother flee to Pakistan, only to encounter more political machinations. He relates how the two of them finally find safety in Canada. At the end, the story lives in my mind as nonfiction.
And the story is based on true events: the author and her son had to leave Afghanistan and find refuge in Canada. But what makes the writing magical is that voice of a twelve-year-old giving a report on what he has experienced. It’s unforgettable. Highly recommended for readers 10 years old and up. 

More stories of refugees

More stories set in Afghanistan

More stories set in Pakistan

More stories of political conflict

Tips for recognizing good writing

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Three Sisters

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Yee, Paul. The Three Sisters. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2024.
Paul Yee, a Chinese-Canadian historian, has won multiple awards for his stories. In this new picture book, an angry emperor, who wages endless wars, demands the daughters of his court musicians come play for him. When the emperor refuses to let them leave, the sisters remember their father’s words: “Stay true to your music, and you will see its power and magic.” So they continue to play, and their music conjures up such power that the emperor is humbled and peace returns to the land. This timeless story – charmingly illustrated by Shaoli Wang – flows beautifully and invites connections to folklore in its use of the number three and to Old Testament stories of the Israelites escaping Egypt by crossing the Red Sea and David soothing the heart of King Saul by playing his lyre. Highly recommended as a read-aloud for kids 4 to 11 years old.

More Chinese stories

Another book with allusions to other stories

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Puffin Keeper

Sophie Rosen , , , ,

Morpurgo, Michael. The Puffin Keeper. Toronto: Puffin Canada, 2020.
After a shipwreck at sea, Allen and his mother are rescued by a lighthouse keeper who bravely rows out to rescue the passengers. Years pass. But Allen never forgets Benjamin Postlethwaite, the man who saved him from drowning. When he grows old enough, he goes back to visit and stays for months, painting pictures and rescuing puffins until he is called up to serve in World War II. After the war, he returns and makes his home on the islands with his wife and children. 
This 91-page novel by a master storyteller – written from the first person point of view – flows so smoothly and quietly it feels like it must be a true story. Highly recommended for adults who appreciate outstanding writing and for children 9 to 11 years old.

More stories set in England

More historical novels

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Hotel Balzaar

Sophie Rosen ,

DiCamillo, Kate. Hotel Balzaar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2024.
Marta and her mother live in a hotel. All day long, while her mother is cleaning rooms, Marta, quietly and invisibly wanders the hallways, wondering about about her father, who has disappeared. But things change when a mysterious visitor appears: a countess with an exotic parrot and seven strange stories. This heart-warming novel – illustrated by Júlia Sardà – is sure to intrigue readers 9 to 11 years old who enjoy stories with a touch of magic.

More stories by Kate DiCamillo

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Growing Up Under a Red Flag

Sophie Rosen ,

Compestine, Ying Chang. Growing Up Under a Red Flag: A Memoir of Surviving the Chinese Cultural Revolution. New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2024.
When Ying Chang was three years old, the Chinese Cultural Revolution started and life changed for her family. Her parents were doctors in the city of Wuhan, her father a surgeon and her mother a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. At home, they read English books and listened to American radio broadcasts. But in 1966, life became suddenly restrictive. People had to wear uniforms and carry a book of Mao’s teachings. Food was rationed. Neighbours spied on each other. And then Ying Chang’s father was arrested and taken away. For ten long years, Ying Chang and her mother lived in deprivation and fear until finally the revolution was over and her father came home. Ten years after that, she left China to study in America. Illustrated by Xinmei Liu and supplemented by a note from the author, this extraordinary picture book is most highly recommended for readers nine years old and up. An outstanding addition to any collection of books on Chinese history!

More books about China

More picture book memoirs

Print Friendly, PDF & Email