Where Butterflies Fill the Sky by Zahra Marwan - ADVISABLE

 Where Butterflies Fill the Sky: a story of immigration, family, and finding home by Zahra Marwan. PICTURE BOOK. Bloomsbury, 2022. $19. 9781547606511 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

The girl loves her home with her aunties close by, the beautiful, blue waters, the butterflies – home. But, her family has been kicked out of their home and have landed is much different, new place. Eventually, she discovers a sense of community and belonging, while still longing for her old home and her family. 

Marwan’s epilogue is a must read – she brings light to one of the ways that people become homeless and need to leave what they thought was their home. If your school has a refugee and/or immigrant population, if you address immigration, nations-statehood, refugees in your curriculum, you could easily share this to add ore dimension to any discussion. Marwan’s illustration are unlike anything I remember seeing before – they are whimsical and concrete simultaneously – everything is dreamlike, but also identifiable. Her color palette enhances that dichotomy in only the best ways. 

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS