The Stray and the Strangers, written by Steven Heighton. Groundwood, 2020. $14.95 ages 8 and up

 

"Sometimes instead of water, they filled
her bowl with the best thing she had ever
tasted. Milch, the bearded man called 
it, and the young woman used a similar
sound, milk. While Kanella slurped it up, 
the man would crouch behind her."

Based on a true event, the author allows Kanella to narrate her own story. Kanella is a stray dog living on Lesvos, a Greek island, when refugees begin to make it a stop on their way to freedom from the oppression in their home countries. She is as wary of these new arrivals as they are of a stray, scrawny dog.  

A camp is set up as protection for the many arrivals, before they move on the next leg of their perilous journey. Many stay only a few days before moving on. Kanella becomes accustomed to the visitors to her home, and is soon friendly with the camp worker who offers water, food, and warmth. The kindness exhibited allows Kanella a sense of peace, and a chance to thrive and survive. 

As the people come and go, Kanella takes note of a little boy who stays. His parents are not with him. She has an awareness for the loneliness and fear the young boy is experiencing. He is alone as she has been. Soon, they are playing together, and eating meals provided by camp staff. When the boy has nightmares, Kanella offers comfort. They spend those nights in close contact. Their futures may be uncertain; for the time being, they can be together and appreciate what they have. Lives are changed for the better as the story comes to an end. 

Kids who read this exceptional story will surely feel the importance of understanding the plight of refugees running from untenable conditions. Seeing the tale through the eyes of a dog helps them realize the full impact of kindness and empathy for those whose lives are so very different from their own. In an afterword, the author shares that he met such a dog when he was volunteering at a refugee camp on Lesvos. He noted how special the dog was to the spirit of the camp, and the ways in which she helped those whose journey brought them to her island.