Four Feet, Two Sandals

Gr 2-5 Two Afghani girls living in a refugee camp in Pakistan find one another when relief workers unload used clothing and everyone scrambles to grab what they can. Lina, 10, manages to locate one brand-new sandal, but soon sees that the matching shoe is already on the foot of another girl. The next day, while washing clothes in the river, they meet again and decide to share the sandals, taking turns wearing them. As Lina and Feroza's friendship grows, readers catch glimpses of their day-to-day lives: they get water at a community well, peek into the school windows where only the boys study, and share painful memories and dreams of the future. When Lina's family's name is finally on the list to go to America, the girls face yet another separation. Feroza hands Lina one sandalto rememberand Lina promises they will share again in America. Double-page acrylic paintings in muted colors enhance the well-written narrative, depicting the desert setting as well as camp conditions and cultural details, such as the characters' clothing. The girls' changing emotions are clearly conveyed through the text's understated tone and the realistic pictures. This poignant story of loss, friendship, and sharing introduces readers to the realities of children growing up in refugee camps. - Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Based on Mohammeds work with refugees in the city of Peshawar (on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border), this poignant story centers on two Afghani girls, each of whom ends up with half of a pair of sandals after relief workers bring used clothing to their refugee camp. Lina and Feroza agree to share the shoes, taking turns wearing them and sometimes each wearing one. They also share their stories: Lina tells of her familys midnight flight after her father and sister were killed, and Feroza responds, I have only my grandmother now. After Lina learns that her family will be able to relocate to America, the girls go back and forth about who should keep the sandals, and ultimately decide to each keep one to better remember the other. Paired with Williamss ("Circles of Hope") straightforward narrative, Chaykas ("The Pink House at the Seashore") acrylic paintings, rendered in broad swaths of color, offer a glimpse of the seldom viewed, chore-filled lives of children in a refugee camp, where only boys can attend school and crowds fight for supplies and clothing. The bright yellow sandals, each decorated with a blue flower, shine against the muted desert landscape, a well-chosen and meaningful symbol of both privation and hope. Ages 7-10. (Oct.)

Copyright 2007 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.