Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers by Lina AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery is a picture book about a brave girl who learns to fly and inspires other girls to take flight.
Every morning when Loujain wakes, she remembers her dreams of flying "to a place her baba described as the carpet of a million sunflowers." But girls are not allowed to fly. So every day, Loujain and Baba put on their wings and Loujain pretends to fly as Baba soars away. She loves bright colors and taking pictures with her camera; her favorite picture of all is one Baba gave her that features the sunflower field and makes her feel like she is "floating in a sea of color." At school, when Loujain tells her friends that one day she will fly, they laugh and call her silly. But Loujain is determined. Eventually, she convinces her reluctant Baba to teach her, and Loujain's unthinkable dream comes true.
Human rights activists AlHathloul and Mishra-Newbery wrote this story for AlHathloul's sister, Loujain, who was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for fighting for women's right to drive. The heroic and emotional text is accompanied by the striking illustrations of Rebecca Green (How to Be a Good Creature illustrator). Green uses acrylic gouache, colored pencils and earth tones to create brilliant, detailed art full of spirit and warmth. This gorgeously illustrated book inspires hope and reminds readers always to fight for justice. --Natasha Harris, freelance reviewer