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Halifax Public Libraries
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More by this author
Zarif, Marya.
Subjects
Syrians -- Refugees -- Juvenile fiction.
Magic -- Juvenile fiction.
Courage -- Juvenile fiction.
Browse Catalog
by author:
Zarif, Marya.
by title:
Dounia and the magic...
Translation of: Doun...
Dounia. English...
by call number:
FICTION ZAR
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Zarif, Marya.
Syrians -- Refugees -- Juvenile fiction.
Magic -- Juvenile fiction.
Courage -- Juvenile fiction.
MARC Display
Dounia
and the
magic
seeds
/ [written and illustrated] by Marya Zarif ; translated by Yvette Ghione.
by
Zarif, Marya.
Owlkids Books, c2023.
Call #:
FICTION ZAR
Subjects
Syrians -- Refugees -- Juvenile fiction.
Magic
-- Juvenile fiction.
Courage -- Juvenile fiction.
ISBN:
9781771475235
1771475234
Uniform title:
Dounia
. English
Alternate title:
Translation of:
Dounia
.
Description:
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 26 cm.
Notes:
Translation of:
Dounia
.
Summary:
Dounia
is the story of a little girl who loves her home city of Aleppo, Syria, and its many smells, sights, and traditions. But when war breaks out,
Dounia
and her grandparents must flee Aleppo to find safety. Before they go, their neighbor reads their future in a cup of coffee - she sees a long difficult journey ahead of the family and a blue house awaiting them at the end. Taking only a bird carved from Aleppo soap and four little barake
seeds
in her pocket,
Dounia
faces dangerous waters, a camp surrounded by barbed wire, and unfriendly soldiers, and she wonders where she and her family belong in the world. Remembering the ancient knowledge that barake
seeds
ward off evil, she pulls one from her pocket to use for each of the threats they face. Magically, the
seeds
from their faraway home help them along their way, until they finally find the blue house at the end of their journey. In her new home,
Dounia
plants her final seed in a pot so it can grow and offer more
seeds
, while also keeping a piece of Aleppo with her. The bara
seeds
represent the Syrian culture -- although
Dounia
is fleeing her country, she carries with her the strength of her people. It is by tapping into her roots, represented by the
seeds
, that she finds her own strength and resilience. The magical moments brought about by the bara
seeds
can be interpreted as
Dounia
's imagination - it's a way of seeing the war and the migration from a six-year-old's perspective.
Dounia
does not understand everything that is going on, but she is not a powerless victim. By using the
seeds
, she feels she is taking an active part in her own destiny. In the end, whether it is
magic
or
Dounia
's imagination at play, it's a story about obstacles faced by migrants and about the courage they have in facing these obstacles. As Marya puts it in her article for TBI Magazine, it reverses the common narrative in North American media that "Syria" is synonymous with devastation and destruction, and that Syrian refugees can only be victims of their circumstance, rather than brave, vibrant heroes who can take charge of their own stories.
Genre:
Canadian fiction, Juvenile.
School age picture book.
Other authors:
Ghione, Yvette.
Holds:
0
Copy/Holding information
Location
Collection
Call No.
Item type
Status
Bedford Public Library
School Age Picture Books
FICTION ZAR
Childrens Books
Checked in
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Woodlawn Public Library
School Age Picture Books
FICTION ZAR
Childrens Books
Checked in
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Central Library
School Age Picture Books
FICTION ZAR
Childrens Books
Checked in
Add Copy to MyList
J. D. Shatford Memorial Public Library
School Age Picture Books
FICTION ZAR
Childrens Books
Checked in
Add Copy to MyList
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