New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
In this moving and timely story, a young child describes what it is like to be a migrant as she and her father travel north toward the US border.
They travel mostly on the roof of a train known as The Beast, but the little girl doesn’t know where they are going. She counts the animals by the road, the clouds in the sky, the stars. Sometimes she sees soldiers. She sleeps, dreaming that she is always on the move, although sometimes they are forced to stop and her father has to earn more money before they can continue their journey.
As many thousands of people, especially children, in Mexico and Central America continue to make the arduous journey to the US border in search of a better life, this is an important book that shows a young migrant’s perspective.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3
With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 4 to 7
- Grade:
- k to 2
- Reading age:
- 4 to 7
Awards
- Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Book
- Commended, Notable Books for a Global Society
- Commended, A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
- Commended, NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children, Recommended Book
- Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year
- Commended, School Library Journal Best Picture Books of the Year
Editorial Review
This beautiful, understated story is extremely important right now; it will resonate with many and open the eyes of children unfamiliar with the experience of immigration.
— Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
