The Three Lucys

By Hayan Charara, Sara Kahn
Paperback: $12.95

After a young Lebanese boy loses one of his beloved cats when his village comes under attack, he must learn to cope with loss and hope for a peaceful future.

Description

Luli likes to sit in the shade of an olive tree with his beloved cats: Lucy the Fat, Lucy the Skinny, and Lucy Lucy. But when Luli and his parents go to the city to see his aunt and uncle one weekend, the cats must stay behind at home.

After a fun visit with family, Luli is looking forward to going home and seeing the Lucys. But then Luli’s hometown comes under attack and the family must seek refuge at his aunt and uncle’s house. Luli doesn’t understand what is happening and worries about his pets. Who will keep the three Lucys safe? And when will he and his family be able to return home?

Recipient of Lee & Low’s New Voices Honor award, The Three Lucys is inspired by real events of the July War in Lebanon. This tender story of loss, rebuilding, and healing is a tribute to the sustaining love of family, and to the power of the human spirit to hope for a peaceful future.

About the Creators

Hayan Charara

Hayan Charara made his picture book debut with The Three Lucys, which is based on his family's experiences in Lebanon. He is also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts literature fellowship, author of three poetry collections, and editor of Inclined to Speak: an Anthology of Contemporary Arab American Poetry, which garnered glowing reviews. Born in Detroit, Michigan, to immigrant parents, Charara currently lives with his family and a cat in Houston, Texas.

Sara Kahn

Sara Kahn is known for her emotive, transparent watercolor paintings, which have received numerous awards from painting and illustration competitions. Having lived in Iran during war and revolution, Kahn was moved by this story's tender portrayal of love and care for pets, family, and homeland. She lives in San Francisco, California, with her husband and their cats.

Awards

  • Junior Library Guild Selection

    Junior Library Guild

  • CCBC Choices

    Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

  • Arab American Book Award Honor

    Arab American Museum

Reviews

  • "Lebanese-American Charara deftly maneuvers through a child's view of war. Buildings and lives are lost; Luli knows war is unspeakably powerful, but the mountain and sea are still there. They anchor his peace. Iranian-American Kahn's watercolor palette changes from warm oranges to cool blues and grays, depending on the mood. But even in the middle of conflict and while surveying the aftermath, the glowing warmth of love consistently surrounds the family. An author's note adds context to what the Lebanese call the July War. Sadness is turned to hope and tragedy is turned to strength in this sensitive treatment."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "Charara creates a tale based on his Lebanese family's experiences during the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. Without shying away from the terror the family felt and the destruction they witnessed, the author has crafted a war story writ small for young readers.... The complicated emotions of the family are highlighted in the sweeping watercolor illustrations, which add depth while avoiding scary imagery.... VERDICT This book provides appropriate context for difficult topics, making it a good choice to spark discussion in libraries."

    - School Library Journal
  • "Working in soft swathes of watercolor, Kahn confidently bridges the emotional transition from tender family meals under a setting sun to frightening moments hiding in gray basements. The disappearance of one of the Lucys and the evident destruction wrought by the bombing offer a somber, though not hopeless, entry point for discussions of loss and the consequences of war."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "This Lebanese child's experience of an outbreak of violence is based, according to the author's afterword, on the July War of 2006.... In keeping with the narrative's oblique message and restrained emotional tone, Kahn's illustrations are luminous but low-key watercolor scenes featuring softly drawn figures--destruction is rarely visible."

    - Booklist
  • "Kahn's soft watercolor illustrations move between warm oranges and cool blues to reflect Luli's feelings of love and fear. An author's note reveals that Charara was inspired by his own family's experience in 2006 during what the Lebanese term the July War (with Israel). Luli's story is a quiet and hopeful exploration of conflict, grief, and healing."

    - The Horn Book
  • "This. . . story of loss, rebuilding, and healing is a tribute to the sustaining love of family, and to the power of the human spirit to hope for a peaceful future. Unique and compelling, entertaining and inspiring, The Three Lucys is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections."

    - Midwest Book Review

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781643796024
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2016
  • Trim Size 8.375 × 10.5 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781600609985
  • Publication Date Oct 01, 2016
  • Trim Size 8.5 × 10.5 in
  • Weight 1 lbs
  • Page Count 40
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / People & Places / Middle East
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Animals / Pets
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Historical / Military & Wars
  • Themes Animals, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Coping with Death, Courage, Cultural Diversity, Empathy / Compassion, Families, Fiction, History & Civics, Home, Kindness / Caring, Multiple Ethnicities Represented, Muslim, Overcoming Obstacles, Peace, Realistic Fiction, Sharing & Giving, Social & Emotional Learning, Southwest Asian / North African / South Asian, Tolerance / Acceptance, War
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 7 - 12
  • Grade Range Grades 2 - 7
  • Guided Reading P
  • ATOS Book Level 3.6
  • DRA 38
  • Interest Level Grades 2 - 7
  • Lexile Level 580
  • Reading Level 3
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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