Softly muted illustrations frame this hauntingly simple story of immi gration. Ziba makes her journey to a new life on a soggy, old fishing boat. Along the way, she remembers the life she has left behind—the laughter and play with her cousins, the rich aromas of family meals, her mother weaving rugs on the loom, and her father’s storytelling. She also recalls the night she and her mother had to flee from their village amid gunfire and angry voices. At the end of their journey, she and her mother hope for freedom and a chance to learn and laugh again. 2008 USBBY Outstanding International Books List. nlh

Originally published in English by Pen guin/Viking Australia, in 2007.

Age 5-6. As Ziba rides on a boat nearer to the country that will be her new home, she remembers the country she is leaving and the happy times with family, but also the time when the violence started.