Mustafa

by Marie-Louise Gay

Overview

Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for Children
TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist

Mustafa and his family traveled a long way to reach their new home. Some nights Mustafa dreams about the country he used to live in, and he wakes up not knowing where he is. Then his mother takes him out to the balcony to see the moon — the same moon as in their old country. In the park, Mustafa sees ants and caterpillars and bees — they are the same, too. He encounters a “girl-with-a-cat,” who says something in a language that he can’t understand. He watches an old lady feeding birds and other children playing, but he is always looking in from the outside and he feels that he is invisible. But one day, the girl-with-the-cat beckons to him, and Mustafa begins to become part of his new world.

Marie-Louise Gay’s remarkable ability to write and illustrate from the perspective of a young child is movingly exhibited in this gentle, thoughtful story about coming to feel at home in a new country.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773061382
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	08/01/2018
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Mustafa:

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award Finalist
Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award Finalist
OLA Best Bets
Boston Globe, Best 2018 Books for Children

Nominee, Blue Spruce Award, 2020

"A touching story about adjustment, recovery, love, and friendship, told of a boy whose family moves to a new country due to war. . . . An invaluable resource for those working with children from resettled refugee families as well as host communities." — Kirkus, starred review

"Perfectly pitched to help young children explore empathy in a thoughtful, nonthreatening manner." — Booklist

"The story of a young boy moving to an unfamiliar place and finding his way, even when another language is spoken, is one that all children should hear . . . One for the must-be-purchased list." — School Library Journal, starred review

"[T]ouching . . . This nuanced book shows the necessity of friendship for those who carry unseen emotional scars from war." — Horn Book

Praise for Short Stories for Little Monsters:

“Original, inventive, pore-overable, and child-pleasing …” — Horn Book, starred review

“This volume is worth reading multiple times to enjoy the humor and to revisit the witty illustrations and snappy dialogue.” — School Library Journal, starred review

“… funny and unique, graced with the fabulous illustrations by Marie-Louise Gay.” — Youth Services Book Review, starred review

Praise for Any Questions:

“A delightful and interactive step into the world of creating engaging picture books for children.” — Kirkus, starred review

Editorial Reviews

[T]ouching . . . This nuanced book shows the necessity of friendship for those who carry unseen emotional scars from war.

Horn Book

Perfectly pitched to help young children explore empathy in a thoughtful, nonthreatening manner.

Booklist

This gentle, heartwarming story features Marie-Louise Gay’s distinct and delightful watercolour illustrations. … A timely tale that is told in prose that is gentle and spare and lovely.

Canadian Children’s Book Centre

★ 07/01/2018
PreS-Gr 3—A young boy has traveled a long way to this new country from his old one, where the trees were dusty and gray and there was not a lot of extra food. But here, in this new country, people feed the birds and the squirrels, and the trees magically turn from lush green to bright jewel-toned colors. Mustafa is amazed by all he sees around him and learns about the culture of this new place through observation; but when he tries to engage with a little wave or a smile, he goes unnoticed. Mustafa wonders if he is invisible, but his mother assures him that he is not. One day, a little girl that Mustafa has observed multiple times in the park reaches out to him, making a connection and a lasting impression. This latest from Gay is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book for elementary-aged children. The story of a young boy moving to an unfamiliar place and finding his way, even when another language is spoken, is one that all children should hear. His experience is one that many kids can relate to and others should be aware of. Mustafa is brave and courageous, putting himself out there to learn about the world around him and make a new friend. The mixed-media illustrations are drawn delicately but filled in with rich, bold colors. Even young children not yet able to read will be able to look at the pictures, follow the story line, and feel the emotions. VERDICT One for the must-be-purchased list.—Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

School Library Journal

★ 2018-04-25
A touching story about adjustment, recovery, love, and friendship, told of a boy whose family moves to a new country due to war.As Mustafa, a black-haired, brown-skinned boy who seems to be from Syria or Iraq, settles into his new environment, he observes everything around him: In the nearby park, there are green trees, flowers that look like his grandmother's teacups, and bugs that resemble jewels. He also sees a blonde, white girl with a cat and runs away after she talks to him with words he cannot understand. When he visits the park the next day, he finds many new interesting things, among which is a perfect stick for drawing. He draws an airplane and a burning house and runs away again when the girl comes. She creates butterflies and flowers that erase the previous drawing. Mustafa later sees children playing and waves to them, but they don't notice him. One day he hears a tune he already knows, but no one pays attention when he whistles along with it. "Am I invisible?" he asks his mom. "If you were invisible, I couldn't hug you, could I?" she says. Eventually, the girl succeeds in communicating with Mustafa, and a new friendship is born. Gay's customarily splashy, scratchy illustrations effectively depict Mustafa's isolation and yearning even as her text carefully delineates what about his new home is familiar and what is strange.An invaluable resource for those working with children from resettled refugee families as well as host communities. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews