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deschatjes's review against another edition
4.0
#WWATP #migration #empathy Story of young girl with mother in jail as illegal immigrant. beautiful illustrations and explanation of dificult theme.
librarianoliviarae's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Danticat is a master of capturing mother-daughter love. I deeply appreciate the inclusion of Haitian Creole and the child-centered separation narrative. Staub's art with its richness in color and simple recurring images adds more depth to the symbolism of the story. Saya, our main character, even wears emotional cues and symbols in dress patterns: keys for when she writes to the newspaper to get her mother back home, hearts for when she attends court and her mother is allowed to wait for her "papers" at home with her family, nightingales when she is finally reunited with her mother for in-person bedtime stories again.
harridansstew's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this picture book - the illustrations are folkish and beautiful. It's about a little girl whose mother was arrested at work for not having the "right papers." Her and her father visit Mama in ICE jail, knowing she could be deported. The little girl struggles with the whole situation and causes a scene at visitation. To help, her mother sends her taped bedtime stories, which eventually inspire the daughter to write about their story.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
pwbalto's review against another edition
5.0
Any time a parent is incarcerated, it throws the family into crisis. Incarcerating parents who have committed no crime, whose offense is a lack of proper immigration documentation - has the same far-reaching, sometimes disastrous effects on the family as does the incarceration of a dad or mom who has committed criminal offenses.
This is a beautiful book with a happy ending - an ending I wish for all families separated in this way.
This is a beautiful book with a happy ending - an ending I wish for all families separated in this way.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
5.0
What an important book to have in today's age.
A young child does not quite understand why her mom can't live at home and needs to wait for the "right papers" (immigration documents) in order to leave jail/detention center.
A young child does not quite understand why her mom can't live at home and needs to wait for the "right papers" (immigration documents) in order to leave jail/detention center.
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
This powerful picture book about immigration presents an important point of view and deserves a place in every library. Highly recommended for Kindergarten and up.
little_silver's review against another edition
4.0
Hopeful while still representing the reality for many immigrant families.
azajacks's review against another edition
5.0
Sweet, sad story. Gorgeous illustrations.
I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org
I support independent bookstores. You can use this link to find one near you: http://www.indiebound.org
backonthealex's review against another edition
5.0
Saya, a young Haitian American girl, misses her mother more than anything. But her mother is being held in an immigration detention center. Saya and her father visit her mother every week, but she still misses her so much that each day she listens to the message her mother put on their phone's answer machine. One day, she accidentally erased the message and can no longer her her mother's voice. Then, Saya received a cassette tape in the mail, and that night she falls asleep listening to her mother singing, then telling her a bedtime story. Meanwhile, Saya's father writes letters to everyone - judges, politicians, TV reporters - all to no avail. One day, Saya asks to write her story, too. A few days later, a newspaper reporter calls and wants to talk to Saya. Her story is published, and is even told on TV. Her mother gets a hearing in front of a judge, is allowed to go home and wait there for her papers to be processed. This is, above all, a story about the impact that removing an undocumented parent who has committed no crimes has on her family. In 2015, when it was published, this book held possibility and hope for families caught in these circumstances. In 2017, that hope is gone, but the negative impact on a child remains. Staub's oil painted illustrations are colorful and whimsical, with blues and pinks predominating and reflecting a Haitian folk art style.
liviraered's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant. Danticat is a master of capturing mother-daughter love. I deeply appreciate the inclusion of Haitian Creole and the child-centered separation narrative. Staub's art with its richness in color and simple recurring images adds more depth to the symbolism of the story. Saya, our main character, even wears emotional cues and symbols in dress patterns: keys for when she writes to the newspaper to get her mother back home, hearts for when she attends court and her mother is allowed to wait for her "papers" at home with her family, nightingales when she is finally reunited with her mother for in-person bedtime stories again.