Home Away from Home

PreS-K–Nuha doesn’t believe her mama when she says “Oman is your home away from home.” Jadda (for grandmother) is a stranger, and a summer in Oman seems so different, especially after Nuha accidentally leaves her favorite doll Mary behind. The colorful, childlike illustrations in oil paint, chalk, and ink foreshadow the shared vibrancy between Oman and home as Nuha slowly opens up to new experiences. During a trip with Jadda to the souk to find a new doll, Nuha learns to value and even delight in each different and special moment. Illustrations bring that market to life with tastes, smells, and colors as Nuha uses each sense to find more comfort: first by tasting the delicious shwarma, then henna hand-painting (familiar to Nuha from Eid celebrations at home, and finally, through music where she and Jadda joyfully dance. These sensory details bring Oman to life as Nuha immerses herself in the new and unfamiliar that ultimately feels like another home. When Nuha finds the perfect Omani doll, the trip is complete: their shared name (Mary/Miryam) highlights how special both places ultimately become. Glossary included.