Unpgd. Picture Window Books/ Capstone, September, 2013. 9781623700362. (Review copy courtesy of publisher.)
This lovely wordless picture book follows a young boy as he leaves his home country to travel on an airplane to a new city complete with a new language. The sights and sounds of the city begin to overwhelm him as soon as he arrives. By the time he gets to his new apartment, he is quite done, but remembers a small seed stowed in his pocket and takes comfort in the memory of home that seed brings.
As the days pass, he tries to get acclimated. The signs are all a jumble of letters, school is just a jumble of bla, bla, bla. His mother tries to encourage him to get out and about in the neighborhood. But he doesn't want to - until he accidentally drops his seed and a young girl picks it up and skip-ropes away leaving the boy to run after her. As he treks after her, he begins to recognize people and places in what is becoming his new home.
The illustrations are colorful, evocative and flow beautifully from one to the other. They convey the myriad of emotions this young boy must be facing from confusion to anxiety to anger to hope and happiness.
Perfect for language arts as well as ESL classes, the book can be used as a writing prompt or a comfort read, as many newly arrived students will see themselves in the pages. Great addition to your collection of wordless stories!
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