"Their words did not sound
like the ones I had learned.
So I did not say anything.
I was like a tiny bug
on a little leaf
WAITING,
WATCHING,
LISTENING,
trying to figure out where
I had landed,
trying to fit in."
It's difficult to imagine what life in a new country must be like. I have lived in the same city for my entire life, never necessitating learning a new language, or adjusting to a brand new community and way of life. A daunting task, indeed.
That is exactly the scenario for the young girl who narrates this immigration story. She speaks first of her 'before' life, where she was familiar with everything - homes, friends, trees, school, the noisy market. All were routine to her. Before leaving all she has known, her mother teaches her useful words for her new home.
"The words felt strange
in my mouth."
Upon arrival, all those new words fly away as she is bombarded by unexpected language she does not recognize. Those words did not sound like the ones her mother taught. So, she stops talking and spends her time at other pursuits. So many things to worry about, while being called the NEW GIRL.
"I am not new.
I am just me,
the same as always.
Everything else,
even that teacher
is New."
Finally, in spring, she walks to a nearby playground where she helps another young girl who has fallen off the swings. The encounter is short, but becomes the start of something brand new.
Warm, telling illustrations add context and ensure that young readers grasp the difficulties faced when missing the familiar, and confused about this new existence.
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