  | Simone Author: Nguyen, Viet Thanh | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
When a wildfire threatens Simone's home, she and Ma must rush to take shelter. Guided by her own creativity, and buoyed by Ma's memories of her childhood in Viet Nam, Simone navigates her way through an all-too-common crisis.
| Illustrator: | Phan, Minnie |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (03/01/24)
School Library Journal (+) (12/05/24)
Booklist (03/01/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2024 In this touching picture book by Pulitzer Prize winner Nguyen, young Simone is woken up in the middle of the night to evacuate due to a wildfire. Simone is terrified, and her mother tries to provide comfort, sharing that she, too, had to evacuate as a child back in Vietnam because of a major flood. They arrive at the local high-school gym to take shelter, and it is packed. There, the author lightly mentions climate change and touches on diversity without being heavy-handed. Simone remembers a saying from her mother, “You don't fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water.” Simone draws to make herself feel better and inspires hope in the other kids as well. The story, told mostly in black-and-white panels, effectively uses strategic pops of color. The soft illustrations done in pencil, graphite, and watercolor reflect the gentleness of the text, whose font size is on the small side. Back matter provides additional information on the devastating 2020 California wildfires and reiterates the story’s compelling call for a better, more compassionate future. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
