cbr17bingo, MigrantMigrant:
There are many ways to find a book when you work in a bookstore. One is finished copies sent out before the book is published. This way the bookseller can get the full feeling of the book. And I am very glad I was able to do this with My Home Is in My Backpack by Eugenia Perella (due in October 2025). An online copy would not do this book justice.
Clara and her family are forced to leave an unnamed home/homeland. They are forced to travel with what few things they can carry. While Clara is sad that she’s left almost everything behind, her mother tells her that their home is in the things they could bring, their hearts and the memories of the things and their heart memories. This journey that they take is not one they take alone. There are others in their travel group, each one tells their story. So not only is their story in the backpacks and pockets but in these stories. All of this is told in somewhat poetic language by the girl herself.
And this is told in a mixture of romantic, simpler (no simplistic), uniquely colored illustrations by Angela Salerno. The colors are a bit more earthy, with tan and browns having a strong focus in each image. The theme is difficult (forced migration of a people) but it is handled tastefully and in a way that most ages would be fine with it. Of course, know your reader as it might be a bit much for a sensitive reader.
cbr17bingo Migrant