Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for Children
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist
Mustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his mother takes him out to the balcony to see the moon — the same moon as in their old country. In the park, Mustafa sees ants and caterpillars and bees — they are the same, too. He encounters a “girl-with-a-cat,” who says something in a language that he can’t understand. He watches an old lady feeding birds and other children playing, but he is always looking in from the outside and he feels that he is invisible. But one day, the girl-with-the-cat beckons to him, and Mustafa begins to become part of his new world.
Marie-Louise Gay’s remarkable ability to write and illustrate from the perspective of a young child is movingly exhibited in this gentle, thoughtful story about coming to feel at home in a new country.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for Children
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist
Mustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his mother takes him out to the balcony to see the moon — the same moon as in their old country. In the park, Mustafa sees ants and caterpillars and bees — they are the same, too. He encounters a “girl-with-a-cat,” who says something in a language that he can’t understand. He watches an old lady feeding birds and other children playing, but he is always looking in from the outside and he feels that he is invisible. But one day, the girl-with-the-cat beckons to him, and Mustafa begins to become part of his new world.
Marie-Louise Gay’s remarkable ability to write and illustrate from the perspective of a young child is movingly exhibited in this gentle, thoughtful story about coming to feel at home in a new country.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Aug 1, 2018 |
| Specifications | 40 pages | 8 in x 10.5 in |
| Keywords | adjusting; new country; new home; migration and refugees; exploration and adventure; making friends; linguistic barriers; feeling ignored; emigration and immigration; Muslim characters; empathy; inclusive; acceptance; compassion; figurative language; imagery; simile; inferring; questioning; determining importance; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; grade 1; grade 2; TD Canadian Children's Literature Award; |
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Supporting Resources
(select item to download) |
Teacher's Guide |
| Written By |
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator. She has won two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her popular Stella and Sam series has been translated into more than fifteen languages and is loved by children all over the world. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Illustrated by |
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator. She has won two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her popular Stella and Sam series has been translated into more than fifteen languages and is loved by children all over the world. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Written By |
|
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator. She has won two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her popular Stella and Sam series has been translated into more than fifteen languages and is loved by children all over the world. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Illustrated by |
|
MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator. She has won two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her popular Stella and Sam series has been translated into more than fifteen languages and is loved by children all over the world. She lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Audience | ages 4 to 8 / grades K to 3 |
| Reading Levels |
Guided Reading M
Lexile AD470L Fountas & Pinnel Text Level M |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5 |
Short-listed, Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award, 2018
Short-listed, TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, 2019
Commended, Boston Globe Best Books for Children, 2018
Short-listed, Blue Spruce Award, 2020
“A touching story about adjustment, recovery, love, and friendship, told of a boy whose family moves to a new country due to war. . . . An invaluable resource for those working with children from resettled refugee families as well as host communities.” —Kirkus Reviews
“The story of a young boy moving to an unfamiliar place and finding his way, even when another language is spoken, is one that all children should hear . . . One for the must-be-purchased list.” —School Library Journal
“Perfectly pitched to help young children explore empathy in a thoughtful, nonthreatening manner.” —Booklist
“[T]ouching . . . This nuanced book shows the necessity of friendship for those who carry unseen emotional scars from war.” —Horn Book
“This gentle, heartwarming story features Marie-Louise Gay’s distinct and delightful watercolour illustrations. … A timely tale that is told in prose that is gentle and spare and lovely.” —Canadian Children’s Book Centre