The Moon from Dehradun
A Story of Partition
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- £9.49
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- £9.49
Publisher Description
A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of 2023
A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of 2022
A Society of Illustrators Original Art Show Selection
In time for the 75th anniversary of the Partition of British India, this picture book is a stirring account of the harrowing journey faced by millions of migrants in the aftermath of the division of India and Pakistan.
Azra knows that wherever she goes, her doll Gurya will follow. Even if it’s on a train that will take her far away from the house her family has lived in for generations. Even if there is a new flag flying in Dehradun, and no place left in it for Azra. At least she will be taking a piece of home with her.
But when Abba comes home and says they must leave right now, Gurya gets left behind in the scramble. Will Azra be strong enough to face the long journey alone? And what will happen to Gurya, now hundreds of miles behind them?
Inspired by the author’s family story, this lyrical, moving picture book is a testament to the strength, courage, and perseverance of the over 10 million refugees displaced by the largest forced migration in recorded history, and shares a young girl’s journey from her old home to a new one.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As Britain leaves India to its independence, it first divides the subcontinent, requiring that young Azra and her family leave their Indian hometown in this 1947-set story of Partition. Distracted by her baby brother and lacking time to prepare for the train from Dehradun to Lahore ("It's not safe. We cannot wait another day"), Azra realizes too late that she has left her beloved doll, Gurya, behind. Shamsi's text balances the deep sadness and disorientation that Azra feels with text that shows the strength and hope she draws from her role as older sibling. Lak's bustling, thin-lined illustrations depict crowded trains full of similarly worried travelers—a glowing moon above them all—and, as Azra's family heads toward a residence that others had to flee just as quickly, portray another family making their way toward Azra's old home. It's a haunting, history-based arc that powerfully depicts similarities among those made to flee. An author's note and extensive back matter concludes. Ages 4–8.
