The Horn Book Guide

PICTURE BOOKS

Sanna, Francesca

The Journey

48 pp. | Flying Eye | September, 2016 | Trade ISBN 978-1-909263-99-4 $17.95

(1) K-3 In a piercing first-person account, a child tells of a harrowing journey with a sibling and their mother. Sanna's stylized illustrations are both captivating and unsettling; specifics of the setting are never established (details suggest an Islamic-world origin and a Nordic destination), and that intentional lack of specificity adds disquiet. Still, the story is not without hope. An author's note invites real-world connections.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017