Available:*
Item Barcode | Collection | Call Number | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33607003351734 | Picture Books | GAY | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
Children's author and illustrator Marie-Louise Gay was born in Quebec City, Canada on June 17, 1952. While attending the Institute of Graphic Arts of Montreal, she decided graphic art was too restraining and transferred to the Montreal Museum School of Fine Art, where is majored in animation. She worked for various Canadian magazines doing editorial illustration and illustrated a children's book. In order to learn more about illustration, she attended the Academy of Art College in San Francisco for three years.
She moved to Montreal, Canada and started illustrating children's books. In 1980, she decided to write and illustrate her own picture books. In 1984, she won the Canada Council Children's Literature Prize for illustration in both the English-language category for Lizzy's Lion and the French-language category for Drôle d'école. She won the Canadian Library Association Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon medal for Moonbeam on a Cat's Ear in 1987 and for Rainy Day Magic in 1988. The latter book also earned her the coveted Governor General's Award for illustration. She has also won the 2005 Vicky Metcalf Award, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Mr. Christie's Book Award, and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (1)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-A young boy has traveled a long way to this new country from his old one, where the trees were dusty and gray and there was not a lot of extra food. But here, in this new country, people feed the birds and the squirrels, and the trees magically turn from lush green to bright jewel-toned colors. Mustafa is amazed by all he sees around him and learns about the culture of this new place through observation; but when he tries to engage with a little wave or a smile, he goes unnoticed. Mustafa wonders if he is invisible, but his mother assures him that he is not. One day, a little girl that Mustafa has observed multiple times in the park reaches out to him, making a connection and a lasting impression. This latest from Gay is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book for elementary-aged children. 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. His experience is one that many kids can relate to and others should be aware of. Mustafa is brave and courageous, putting himself out there to learn about the world around him and make a new friend. The mixed-media illustrations are drawn delicately but filled in with rich, bold colors. Even young children not yet able to read will be able to look at the pictures, follow the story line, and feel the emotions. VERDICT One for the must-be-purchased list.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.