From Far Away

From Far Away

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. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.