Juliane's Story: A Real-Life Account of Her Journey from Zimbabwe
Written by Andy Glynne
Illustrated by Karl Hammond
(Based on the BAFTA winning animations)
Juliane lived on a farm in Zimbabwe. She was only three and a half when her mom left for her own safety. Church people took Juliane in and raised her.
"I had to learn to be my own mother and father."
But she believed, deep down, her mom was looking for her.
"In the orphanage, there were about 30 children trying to eat from one plate."
Reading about what life was like in the orphanage is heartbreaking. For kids, especially for many kids in America, it'll show them that they have things and privileges that other kids around the world don't have--a full plate of food and clean drinking water. There are things many children take for granted in this generation of iPhones, video games, and YouTube.
"I survived by drinking water, but it wasn't clean."
One day, all the orphan are put on a truck. Juliane's the smallest and the last to get on the truck. All of a sudden, a woman is chasing at it--her mom! They're reunited and leave Zimbabwe, but Juliane struggles to adapt to her new life in her new host country.
She experiences severe panic attacks, something not many kids understand, so this is a great teaching moment for parents to see if their children have ever experienced anxiety.
This is a picture book with few words, but the illustrations are stunning. There are also several lessons for kids today between these pages, such as acceptance.
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