Yuvi's Candy Tree

by Lesley Simpson, Janice Lee Porter (Illustrator)

Overview

In Ethiopia, Yuvi dreams of a land where water flows, bread is plentiful, and candy grows on trees. But it is only after a difficult journey that she arrives in Israel, where it appears that her dreams have come true.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512497212
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Series:	Israel
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lesley Simpson is a Canadian journalist and picture book writer. Her previous books include The Shabbat Box and The Purim Surprise. Lesley has taught journalism and creative writing at Canadian universities. She lives in Toronto, Canada.
Janice Lee Porter was born and raised in Chicago. She has a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from California State University, Chico. She is the illustrator of over two dozen children's books and is an art faculty member at Shasta College in Redding, California, where she teaches painting and drawing. She lives in Chico, California.

Editorial Reviews

"Large, mostly double-page paintings in soft yellow, tan and blue hues on a textured canvas reflect the intrigue, emotion and difficulty of the journey. Uncomplicated language expressed in a direct and honest voice plus vibrant illustrations make Israel's Operation Moses easily accessible for early-elementary children." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 1–3—"I escaped on a donkey in the dark," begins this picture book based on a true story. Five-year-old Yuvi and her family flee war-torn East Africa and make it to a Sudanese refugee camp, where they are aided by Operation Moses, an Israeli rescue program for Ethiopian Jews in the 1980s and 1990s. Depicted in a folk-art style, the story shows the family as they journey for days through the desert with Yuvi strapped onto a donkey with a harness. They face many dangers before reaching the airlift, including robbers who attack repeatedly. But rather than fear permeating the pages, Yuvi's grandmother repeats, "We are going to Jerusalem. We have angels with us. We'll fly home." Her words echo the gentleness of the earth-toned illustrations, which are primitive in style but heartfelt. Yuvi's visions of angels and sweet things to eat lead her to mistake the white rescue workers for celestial beings, and the sweet orange trees in Jerusalem for candy. An innocence that is easily misinterpreted by contemporary ears is a joy to hear. For libraries looking for immigration, Jewish migration, and refugee stories, this is a lovely addition.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City

School Library Journal

The hardship many Ethiopian Jews faced to successfully reach Israel is recounted in the voice of a 5-year-old girl who escapes with her grandmother, determined to reach their destination.

Yuvi's trip begins on a donkey at night with her grandmother's strong religious conviction that angels will help them join mother and baby brother in their real home. "We are going to Jerusalem. We have angels with us. We'll fly home." The long, arduous and dangerous journey is made bearable through role-playing familiar family Shabbat rituals. Several encounters with robbers take almost all their money, except for the small amount Yuvi cleverly hides within her hair curls. Starved and parched from the endless days and nights of traveling, mostly on foot, Grandmother's new promise of unlimited candy, clothes, games and bread is a wonder to Yuvi. Finally when they reach Jerusalem aboard a big plane, Yuvi sees her first orange tree and learns that after picking and eating one, so juicy and sweet, another will grow back—the candy tree she imagined. Large, mostly double-page paintings in soft yellow, tan and blue hues on a textured canvas reflect the intrigue, emotion and difficulty of the journey.

Uncomplicated language expressed in a direct and honest voice plus vibrant illustrations make Israel's Operation Moses easily accessible for early-elementary children. (afterword) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews