The Sky of Afghanistan

K-Gr 2—An Afghan girl dreams of peace. She imagines herself and her fellow countrymen flying like kites in the sky, a metaphor that is repeated ad nauseum throughout the book. There is no plot, just this redundant wishing for a different world. No background as to what has prompted this longing is provided. It is difficult to imagine a child of any age being able to make sense of such statements as, "We are all given a new opportunity to leave our footprints for all eternity" or "please forgive me if my eyes fill with tears" when there is no context. At times the text is awkward and ungrammatical. The illustrations, which appear to be done in pastel, are well composed but cannot salvage the text. Jeanette Winter's Nasreen's Secret School (S & S, 2009) and Dedie King's I See the Sun in Afghanistan (Satya House, 2011) are better choices for introducing children to the situation in Afghanistan.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ