Sitti's Bird

What a beautifully illustrated and touching #arc raising awareness about the heartbreaking reality of Palestinians living in Gaza!💔😭

Genre: Advanced Picture book

Ages: 6-8

Available: Amazon (preorder before the August release date!!)

Malak Mattar ( based on the real life and by author @malak_mattar_artist )is a little girl living in The Gaza Strip, where she feels like Sitti’s Bird in a cage. Unable to fly or go anywhere, even when bombs drop from the sky, her school closes, and Sitii’s home is destroyed, there is nowhere to go in this land prison.

But Malak feels free when she paints. Her art makes her feel like she can go anywhere, especially if her art itself travels the world.

This book was so beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated, and tenderly delivers a heartbreaking message to the reader about the situation in Gaza. I appreciated that this book is written about a true story, and the author herself is illustrator and the main character explaining her struggles and own voice narrative of her life.

The author’s note was very informative about Gaza and the 2014 bombing “Operation Protective Edge” of Gaza and what it did to the children there. It is a heartbreaking situation that still continues to this day.

It is very inspiring to see that Malak Mattar’s work is indeed like Sitti’s bird, and has traveled all over the world, even if she might still be stuck in Gaza. (It has traveled to us!!) And that is the nature of art and writing, it is why Malak’s heart feels happy when she sees the bird fly free from its cage. Because words and art have power to set free minds and hearts.

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