The illustrations in this moving picture book are quite, quite remarkable. Full of rich, glowing colour, light and dark, and emotional truth, they tell the story almost on their own. Ali is frightened of the war all around him, and he and his parents live a life in Afghanistan that is difficult for those of us who live in comfort to understand. Conditions get so bad that Ali’s grandmother decides they all must go to another country. Evidently she has a passport for herself and Ali, because they are allowed on the plane, but Ali’s parents are not. Ali is distraught as they take off, but grandmother hopes they will be on the next flight. When they aren’t, he and grandmother are alone in a strange country. The story is centred very much on Ali’s feelings, his dreams about his parents, his fear and sadness, and his loneliness in this new place. Language is a huge problem as he speaks no English, and it is awhile before he makes any friends at school. Meanwhile, they hear nothing about his parents, and this continues to be a huge sadness. After four years there is a phone call, and they at least learn that his parents are safe, but at the end of the story, they have not arrived. This is one in a series of five books about refugee children and their own experiences, and if this one is anything to go by, they will all be excellent.