Moving can be hard on anyone. It can be especially hard on kids. Today we are sharing two newly released picture books that share stories of kids moving for different reasons. The first book is When Auggie Learned to Play Chess by Meredith Rusu and illustrated by Stephen Costanza. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
In this heartfelt picture book, a shy kid’s dad teaches him how to play chess… and chess gives him the confidence to make a new friend.When Auggie finds an old chessboard that once belonged to his grandfather, he decides he wants to learn how to play chess. And his dad, his Tatâ, is happy to teach him.
They’ve just moved to a new town, and Auggie is struggling to make friends at his new school. In the big, busy hallways, he feels like a tiny pawn. But after every hard day at school, he can’t wait to play chess with his dad. Slowly, slowly, he gets better at the game… until he can beat Tata!
Then, Auggie finds a chessboard in his classroom. When he sees that another boy looks interested in it, he knows just what to do: he can teach Luke how to play chess, too!
Here is a moving father-son story that shows how chess helps one boy feel at home in a new environment.
From Me:
Auggie is not very excited about his new home or his new school. He wants to return "home." However, he discovers his grandfather's old chess set and asks his father to teach him how to play. His father agrees to teach him before Auggie returns "home." He explains to Auggie how his own father brought the chess set from Romania. Auggie has a hard time at the new school. The kids are not very friendly to him. Then he discovers a chess set on the shelf and pulls it out. One of the boys watches him and comes over. Auggie offers to teach him how to play, and Auggie gains a friend.
I love how Meredith Rusu shares in the Author's Note how her father-in-law taught her boys at a young age to play chess. He truly believes that it helps bring people together and find friends. He used the game to teach his grandsons life lessons. I feel like this story truly captures that feeling. Chess gives Auggie the confidence to connect and something to share with a new friend. For a book about learning to play chess check out this review.
Our next book is about a family who has to leave home due to the war. They become refugees. The book is My Sister the Apple Tree: A Refugee Story of Hope and Resilience by Jordan Scott and Jamal Saeed and illustrations by Zahra Marwan. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
About the Book:
In this moving picture book, inspired by the author’s experience as a Syrian refugee, a child’s profound love for his family’s apple tree gives him courage when he must flee his homeland.When a young boy asks his parents why he doesn’t have a brother or sister, his mother replies that on the day he was born, they planted an apple tree in their front yard. “The apple tree is your sister,” she says. At night, the boy wraps a blanket around his sister’s trunk and during the day he shares all of his secrets with her. One day, they see helicopters in the sky and his parents tell him they must flee. But how can he leave his sister behind? Instead he digs her up and carries her away from their homeland. When they arrive to a new place, the air is colder and the ground is hard. Home feels so far away. But as his sister grows taller and her branches blossom, the boy realizes that he will always be connected to his homeland, even as he begins to embrace his new one.
This moving and hopeful refugee story is written by Syrian activist Jamal Saeed and co-written by acclaimed poet Jordan Scott. Illustrated by award-winning artist Zahra Marwan, who drew inspiration from her own immigration from Kuwait, this gorgeous book reminds readers that nothing is left behind forever.
From Me:
We move for many reasons, but one of the hardest ones is because of war. Leaving everything you know must be tough. In this book the young boy was told that the apple tree in his front yard was his twin sister. His parents planted it when he was born. He brought the apple tree a blanket every night. He talked and played with the tree every day. He made it part of his family. When the bombs began dropping, he insisted on taking his sister with him. He took the time to dig up the tree and provide it with water and carry it. His parents helped. They carried it miles and brought it on an airplane. When they arrived in Canada, the ground was hard and cold. Yet he made a place to put his sister, and he watched her grown in the home. It helped him accept his new home.
The story is interesting. Imagining a tree is a sibling is something new. It is an interesting story. It shares the difficulties of becoming a refugee. It also shares the colors of Syria and Canada. I love how it shares pieces from family stories of the authors and how the illustrator captured the feel of the places based on photographs shared. The apples are important part of Jamal Saeed's family's story in Syria. The story is interesting and heartfelt. The book is put together in a beautiful and meaningful way to share the life of a refugee. It isn't easy to leave everything behind. In this story the apple tree represents the life left behind connected to the new life.
