The Journey

What a beautiful and haunting book. This story of a family that loses its home and father to war and must set out for a safer home might not be a soothing bedtime tale, but for a child curious about the word "refugee," I can hardly think of a more delicate and powerful introduction. Safety, sorrow, hope, and terror—for both children and parents—all find expression in a simple but concrete story and in Sanna's exquisitely evocative illustrations of piled-up suitcases, perilous sea journeys, and border walls. Parents might find themselves rereading its pages after their children have gone to bed. (4 and up)