Review by Booklist Review
A little girl is told by her parents that they will be moving to a new country, and they give her a suitcase in which to pack her favorite things. She's a lucky girl to have many beloved things--an aquarium, a chair made by her grandpa, a cheerful school-bus driver, a best friend--but packing them all in the small bag is a dilemma. Sarihi's spare prose is perfectly complemented by Völk's delicately detailed graphite and colored-pencil illustrations. While readers consider the girl's options along with her, they can dwell and delight in the drawings, noting how, as her conundrum deepens, her favorite things accumulate on the pages and how her facial expressions convey emotion. Fortunately, the girl is as resourceful and imaginative as she is lucky. Far away in her new homeland, she rides a bike to the ocean, where she waits for the real and metaphorical arrival of her old favorite things. Lovely, optimistic final pages visually depict what we can assume will be some of her new favorites. This is a gentle story about change, home, and the hope life hands us when we open our hearts to receive it. Can be paired thematically with Andrew Larsen's Me, Toma, and the Concrete Garden (2019).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Horn Book Review
If you leave pieces of yourself behind in a place you love, how can you help yourself feel whole in a new home? This story's protagonist is a little girl who is going to "fly in an airplane to another country and live in a new house there." There are so many things she doesn't want to leave behind -- an aquarium; the wooden chair her grandpa made for her; the pear tree outside her house; her bus driver and school bus; her best friend -- but none will fit into her small suitcase. Looking at the ocean, the only thing that she doesn't have to take with her because "it's everywhere," she realizes that these favorite things can still join her in her new home by being in her heart -- by becoming her favorite memories. Volk brings Sarihi's simple but heartening story to life through beautiful graphite and colored-pencil illustrations set against generous white space. The softly colored art complements the text by blending the little girl's imagination with reality. (In one double-page spread, the girl stands in front of suitcases that are the same size as the city's buildings.) Staying true to its childlike perspective, this book offers the opportunity to explore and discuss themes of change, resilience, permanence, and connection. Weileen Wang September/October 2020 p.74(c) Copyright 2020. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In this German import, a little girl comes to understand that even though she cannot bring all her favorite things with her when she moves, she can keep them in her heart. One day, a little girl's papa says to her, "We'll fly in an airplane to another country and live in a new house there." Mama gives her daughter a new suitcase to pack her "most favorite things." As the little girl makes a mental list--an aquarium; the wooden chair her grandpa made for her; her school bus driver, who always "sang songs with them"; and especially her very best friend, who is "such a good listener"--she realizes she can't bring any of them with her. Sadly, she walks down to the docks by the ocean, also one of her favorite things. Then, looking out to the open sea, she has a brilliant idea and everything falls into place. Sarihi's simple, heartfelt story is equally matched by Völk's unfussy yet evocative illustrations. Blending fantasy and reality, her delicate line drawings are sparsely filled and deliberately surrounded by white space--calling attention to details and opening room for the imagination. The protagonist and her family have white skin and black hair; some background characters appear to be people of color. A charming tale exploring themes of change, migration, and resilience told from a child's point of view. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
