A powerful and realistic depiction of the refugee experience that lacks closure.
Kajtazovic draws from her experience as a refugee and survivor of the Bosnian War in this dramatic illustrated children’s book.
The story opens on a little girl named Anesa, who receives a puppy called Bobi as a gift for her 7th birthday. Overjoyed, she and Bobi become fast friends. Anesa tells Bobi about her plans to make friends at school, how she can write her name, and about her love of recess. As Anesa enters second grade, war disrupts her life when her father and older cousins leave to fight. Soon, Anesa must stay home for safety. The family loses power and must subsist on leftovers and canned foods; Anesa misses her mother’s cooking. Gunfire, explosions, and tanks become commonplace. Anesa’s mother instructs her to pack a bag of clothes. A few days later, Anesa reluctantly leaves Bobi behind with her grandparents and the family frantically flees their home. “There was no time to stop and cry. I had to stay strong and keep going,” Anesa narrates. Anesa is briefly separated from her mother and younger sister, but they find one another and soon reunite with Anesa’s father. The family boards a truck that takes them to a United Nations refugee camp. Preparing to sleep on a hard floor far from the comforts of home, Anesa hugs her teddy bear and hopes she will one day see Bobi again. Kajtazovic’s storytelling is straightforward and gripping, with a pace and intensity that reflect the urgency of fleeing war. The author describes events simply without sacrificing emotional impact in lines like, “In the street, everyone was running in the same direction. Some were still wearing pajamas. Most people were shouting or crying. I felt like I was in a scary movie.” Anesa’s sincere bond with Bobi will be relatable to pet lovers. Somova’s detailed facial illustrations show how war changes Anesa’s once carefree demeanor to one that is anxious and fearful. Unfortunately, the story ends abruptly without a resolution regarding Anesa’s or Bobi’s fates.
A powerful and realistic depiction of the refugee experience that lacks closure.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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