From Far Away

March 1, 1996
PreS-Gr 1-A well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful book. Six-year-old Askar and her family left war-torn Beirut to join her father in Canada. The child's adjustment to North American life is summed up by her being frightened by a Halloween skeleton and peeing on her teacher's lap. While this probably is what a seven-year old girl would most remember looking back at her experience, it leaves readers hungry for more. There is such a quick resolution (all is well) that youngsters never have the chance to comprehend the trauma of living in a war zone or the alienation and fear the little girl must have felt in her new environment. The watercolor illustrations are full of well-groomed multicultural people and a teacher who looks like Princess Diana. An admirable effort by the child co-author, but a rather half-baked story from Munsch.-Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, NY

July 15, 2017
Seven-year-old Saoussan writes a letter to her reading buddy explaining how she left her war-torn country and what life in a new country has been like.Originally published in 1995 and based on Askar's experiences as a child in a Toronto school, this now appears with new illustrations and revised text. Sadly, this story has not lost any of its relevance or immediacy. As Saoussan tells her story, readers learn she comes from far away. Though she never says where from, it is understood from her mother's dress that it is a Muslim country. When war starts her parents decide to leave; in a note at the end of the book readers learn her new home is in Canada. The illustrations depict a very multiethnic school as well as a child in a wheelchair. Life in her new country is not easy. She doesn't speak English and cannot understand or communicate with her teacher or her classmates. Even something as basic as asking to go to the bathroom--here called a washroom--becomes a trial. Traditional celebrations can also be traumatic: when Saoussan sees a Halloween paper skeleton, memories of war flood back and make her scream. The children's faces are very expressive and help to further convey the feelings felt on all sides. The simple sentence structure and familiar situations make it easily accessible to young children. A note from a now-grown Askar concludes the book. A sad, challenging, and ultimately hopeful real-life story. (Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 1996
Ages 6^-9. Saoussan, a little girl living in a war-torn city, moves to Canada with her family. At first, school is difficult: she speaks no English, she can't understand her teacher, she can't even ask to use the bathroom. At Halloween, the image of a skeleton terrifies her--is war coming here, too? Little by little, Saoussan becomes comfortable in her new school and even decides to change her name to Susan but finds her mother obstinate on that point. Written from the child's view, this autobiographical story resulted from a collaboration between Munsch and Askar, a child who left Beirut for North America at age five and later wrote to Munsch of her experience. Bright watercolor artwork illustrates this picture book, which takes on a difficult theme and communicates it effectively on a child's level. A good choice for classes discussing the immigrant experience. ((Reviewed January 1 & 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)