Children's Book Offers Lessons for Any Age
Reviewed by Dianna Wray
Until You Find the Sun: A Story About Discovering Home Wherever You Go
Maryam Hassan. Il. by Anna Wilson. Crocodile Books, 2024.
“The snow fell heavier like stars falling from the sky, but for the first time this new home didn’t feel so cold.”
Change is hard, and there are few bigger changes to contend with than that of moving thousands of kilometers away to a different country, as Maryam Hassan’s debut children’s book explores. Young Aminah has grown up in a place that is warm and sunny where she eats mango and visits her adored grandfather every day. It’s an idyllic life, as rendered in Anna Wilson’s tender illustrations in this work, inspired by one of Hassan’s Montessori school students. But one day Aminah’s parents tell her that they are moving, and before Aminah knows what has happened she finds herself in a strange land that is covered in snow and ice. Overwhelmed, Aminah calls her grandfather and tells him she wants to return home, but he tells her to have patience with herself “until you find the sun.” Taking on the quandary of how to adjust to being in a new place with deftness and sensitivity, this book will reach any kid who has ever struggled with adjusting to a new situation. This book may bring a tear of recognition to a grownup eye as well—so adroitly does Hassan, a London native who resides and teaches in Tokyo, convey what it’s like to find oneself grappling with a significant life change. The fact that Hassan draws on her own lived experiences comes blazing through in the text. Paired with Wilson’s vibrant illustrations, this is a book every child should have.
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