The notebook keeper A story of kindness from the border

Noemi's home is unsafe, so she and her mamá must flee towards the San Ysidro border in Mexico. Papá has already crossed, and now it's their turn. At the border, they meet the notebook keeper, Belinda, who inspires hope in Noemi's heart. They find a new sense of home as they camp with other refugees awaiting their numbers to get called. Some get called, others don't. Noemi wonders how refugees can keep hope and looks up to Belinda for a thread of light. Belinda shares the importance of appointing "someone with generosity in their heart and kindness in their soul" to be the notebook keeper; Belinda is a refugee, too, and once her number gets called and she can cross the border, Noemi and her mamá take over the job. Based on real accounts of notebook keepers in refugee camps, especially those on the Mexico border, where asylum-seekers await permission to cross, this moving story about kindness, hope, and grassroots community offers a moving glimpse into the realities facing many people fleeing dangerous situations. Mora's warm illustrations beautifully depict the desert setting and the individual faces and belongings of the refugees in the camp. Words in Spanish are sprinkled throughout, and back matter provides further information on real notebook keepers. A heartening story emphasizing the real ways generous people step up in a crisis.

Waiting to cross the border is no easy task. A young girl named Noemi and her mother leave Mexico in search of a safer place to live. Arriving at the border, they must wait. They give their names and country of origin to the kind Notebook Keeper, Belinda, a volunteer tasked with keeping track of asylum seekers waiting to plead their cases. Each day, Belinda calls out the names of those who can move forward in the process. The author's note explains that this is based on a real-life process at the San Ysidro Border Crossing in Tijuana. Noemi and Mamá wait for days, then weeks. Belinda encourages them to stay hopeful and explains that she was picked to become the Notebook Keeper--and how she will select her own replacement when her number is finally called. Taking a cue from Belinda, Noemi decides to stay positive and be kind to those around her. She and her mother are eventually chosen to be the new Notebook Keepers when Belinda's number comes up. Noemi and Mamá are Mexican and brown-skinned; other asylum seekers at the border represent a variety of ethnicities and brown skin tones. The story is uncomplicated and earnest while explaining a deeply nuanced aspect of attempting to enter the United States as a refugee. Dreamy colored pencil, pastel, gouache, and Photoshop collage illustrations put a human face on the real struggle facing so many refugees today. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A hopeful story that encourages compassion. (sources) (Picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.