"Mama is on the shore; my aunties drink their tea.
Baba swims in the open water.
Baba swims in the open water.
His sister takes the boat
out to sea.
out to sea.
Me and my brothers are
in our own world."
in our own world."
A young girl describes poignant feelings about her family's forced emigration to a new home. She loves everything about her first home: family activities, her house, her culture and traditions. There are people who want her family to leave; so, they must. Baba and Mama are encouraging when talking to her about their new home.
"I say my goodbyes
without knowing why"
without knowing why"
The family's journey is long and so are the days following their arrival. No one offers friendship. Baba and Mama find new pleasures where they can now. Her brothers are interested in their own pursuits. On a family walk, they hear guitar music and come upon a place where people are dancing. When they look up, they see 'one hundred balloons fill the sky'. Like being at home, except there were butterflies there.
As the days pass, the people in their new home become friends and help to remind them that their new home is a good one, too. There are calls and reminders from family back home. They will not forget each other. Still, she has found a new family in a new land.
Detailed back matter provides context for the two deserts the family called home, and why they had to leave their home in the first place. In creating illustrations for her story, Zahra Marwan chooses to show her readers both the similarities and differences found in her two homes. Both are loved and honored and have shaped her life. The settings, the cultural motifs, and the traditional colors convey the beauty in her life.
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