CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Alaa is an ambulance driver who stayed in his beloved city of Aleppo through the bombings during the Syrian war and has made it his mission to save the cats left behind when many people were forced to flee. In this lightly fictionalized account, the language is simple and straightforward as it describes his efforts, which led to an outpouring of financial support from around the world, enabling him to construct a building to house the cats. Alaa soon branched out to save other abandoned animals and then expanded his efforts to build a children’s playground. Excellent ink-and-watercolor illustrations bring the people and setting to life in this engaging account. Each person (and cat) is distinctive, and readers will be easily able to identify the central character by his stocky build and red sweater. While the story is heartwarming, it doesn’t ignore the human toll caused by the war in Aleppo, nor does it minimize the harsh realities of surviving there. Notes in the back of the book describe the research done by the book’s creators. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 5-8
Age Range: PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7) Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format: Picture book
Subjects: Animals (Informational) Empathy and Compassion Syrians and Syrian Americans War
Diversity subjects: Arab Asian Middle East Muslim
On CCBC Booklist: Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries 

Publishers: Penguin Random House, Putnam
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781984813787
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Latham

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