Stories Like Me
Sakina and the Uninvited Guests
Sakina and the Uninvited Guests
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Hardcover
Synopsis
When a sandstorm descends upon the city, Sakina and her mama forego their plans to visit the beach and head to the local museum instead. While Sakina yawns and scowls at the boring old relics, her mama's eyes keep filling with tears, moved by the details she recognizes: doesn't this look like my uncle? My mother used to have a ring like this.
But when it's finally time to leave the museum, Sakina returns home with something unexpected—and she begins to see the museum through her mother's eyes, full of art that humanizes our ancestors and reflects the essential, universal human need to be understood and remembered.
Here is a gorgeous, sweeping, and deeply moving picture book from the Ezra Jack Keats Honoree Zahra Marwan, creator of the NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Book Where Butterflies Fill the Sky.
Author/Illustrator
Zahra Marwan is the author of Where Butterflies Fill the Sky, which has received notable acclaim including NPR's Best Books of 2022, The Society of Illustrators’ Dilys Evans Founders Award 2022, a NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Children’s Books Award, and an Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator Honor Award. Zahra has also been recognized by the United Nations with a Minorities Artist Award on Statelessness, and SCBWI’s “Out of the Margins Award” 2022. She currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. zahramarwan.com
Praise
"The narrative has a tangible directness, but the illustrations imbue the story with a magic that moves beyond fantasy into something more profound." —BCCB
"Author Marwan’s art creates a dreamlike mood enriched by carefully observed detail. . . . unique, resonant story celebrating the transformative power of memory." —Booklist
"This imaginative book invites readers to learn more about their heritage through art." —Horn Book, starred review
"A stunningly illustrated celebration of heritage." —Kirkus Reviews
"A unique and stellar piece about taking time to look at what others have made before you, and to wonder, this is a mesmerizing glimpse into art and the past; a must for all collections serving children." —School Library Journal, starred review
"What a beautiful story about ancestral memory and the desire to be known and remembered. A blend of history and magical realism, we follow Sakina as she goes to the museum on a day she rather be doing anything else. The past ends up following her home in the form of a crocodile, a jaguar and a lion which end up teaching the importance of not forgetting. Loved the use of the Arabic language and Marwan's brilliant author's note that reveals so many layers of intention!" —Morgan, Bookmarks
"When a girl's visit to an a museum with her mother results in some curious creatures following her home, she learns a magical lesson about the power of art to connect us with history and culture. Zahra Marwan's story and illustrations are beautifully created; this would be the perfect book to feature alongside a field trip to a museum!" —Beth, Bookmarks
Product Details
40 pages
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