Customer Reviews

The Color of Home (Phyllis Fogelman Books)

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When I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota I found that the community included a large Somalian population. Intrigued by this I tried to seek out children's books that spoke about the Somalian experience and that would be useful to our library collection. I guess I wasn't too shocked to find that there wasn't an abundance of books on the subject, but I was a bit disappointed. Then, in the course of my work, I heard about Mary Hoffman's, "The Color of Home". A beautiful picture book written by the author of the supremely popular, "Amazing Grace", I was both relieved and delighted to find the story exactly what I was hoping for. Better still, "The Color of Home" speaks to any child that has ever left a violent country and moved to America. Combining the slow acceptance of the new and different with an understanding of how talking about things can be therapeutic, this is one of those rare deeply moving picture books.

Hassan is unhappy. Having left bright colorful warm Somalia for cold colorless unfamiliar America depresses him. Though his teacher and fellow students are nice enough, Hassan has to deal with language differences and his own personal history. One day, his teacher asks him to draw a picture. He does, but fills it with the images of the blood and violence he left behind. Through the intervention of a friendly translator and talking about what he's been through, Hassan starts to feel a little better about his experiences. Slowly, he learns to adjust.

Yeah. It's a tearjerker. Mary Hoffman, aided by illustrator Karin Littlewood, kinda goes for your throat with this one. The moment it really got me was when Hassan talks about having to leave his cat behind. You see him, one moment, crouching under the bed as the boots of a soldier pass by, his hand clasping the cat to his chest in fear. The next he's leaving, reaching for the cat that's standing all alone while the family leaves. But this is not to say that the story panders with cheap emotions. If nothing else, Hoffman is entirely respectful of her subject. It's true that the book ends on a happier note. The family is now filling their house with color and Hassan is learning some new words and feeling better about everything. But it's obviously not a perfect situation. Just a better one.

The illustrations are lovely as well. Using broad watercolors, Littlewood draws realistic characters with bright cheerful colors. She's also rather good at drawing Hassan's personal paintings. They're childlike but also, at times, horrific. Combined with Hoffman's words, this book, as I said before, speaks to all kinds of children. Not just the one's escaping from brutality. It doesn't matter what your child's situation is. "The Color of Home" is one of those books that should be read to them so as to open their eyes to the world around them. It's a book that should be better known.

The "Color of Home" makes the experience of the Somali refugees come alive through the voice of a young boy who is bewildered as he struggles to adapt to his new home in a strange country. Everything is different here - the climate, the language, the food - everything.

Through art he is able to find a voice to express the deep tragedy of his losing his home and family. And through art he is able to move past the tragedy and remember the wonderful land he once called "home" -- through the color of expansive, cloudless skies... blue.

This book does an excellent job of telling the story of one boy's flight from famine and war and his struggles to adapt in a new land. Readers should be aware that the book tells about the murder of his family - an integral part of the boy's story.

Muslim children need to have picture books in which they see themselves and families. I read to kindergartners and was glad to see this book on Amazon. It appeared to be just what was missing in their library. You can imagine my disappointment to see pictures of a child hiding under a bed, guns and bullets flying through the air and expressions of fear.

This is not a book for most Muslim children, not one I would read to them anyway.

Newly immigrated from Somalia and knowing little English, Hassan feels like an outsider. Though his classmates and teacher are friendly, everything is very different in America and he is homesick. When his teacher shows him how to paint, he discovers a way to communicate. Through painting Hassan is able to share the experiences of his family in war-torn Somalia and begin to adjust to his new home. Karin Hoffman's bright expressionistic watercolors compliment this perceptively written story. The Color Of Home is a book that will appeal to young readers who will easily relate to the adjustment difficulties faced by new immigrants, especially children, as they learn English and adapt to new schools and classmates.