Title: The Sunflowers Babushka Planted
Author: Beatrice Renden
Major Themes: War, Refugees, Ukraine
Synopsis: When war came to the Ukraine, Tania and her family had to flee—but they found a way to make a refugee camp feel like home.
I love reading beautiful picture books to my little girls. They love it, too, of course. A few days ago, we had a long evening with hardly anyone at home, so I read to my 4-year-old for awhile. One of the books I read her was The Sunflowers Babushka Planted.
Tania had a happy life in a city in Ukraine. She lived with her parents and her grandmother. She went to school every day, and when she came home her grandmother cared for her until her parents came home. Then one day, war came to their city. Tania and her parents had to flee.
After wandering from one place to another, Tania and her parents found a room to live in in a refugee camp. It was a bare, uninspiring little room. Before too long, though, Mama had a good idea. Suddenly, life was much different.
My sensitive little girl was worried when Tania and her parents had to leave without the grandmother. The story glossed over the hard facts of the war, though, and focused on the good that happened to the little family. She was happy with the ending. The Sunflowers Babushka Planted is a gentle way to introduce young children to war and refugees, and a beautiful story of family and love.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 3 – 4, 5 – 8
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Kindle | Library Binding
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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