ALA Booklist (Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2016)

This Lebanese child's experience of an outbreak of violence is based, according to the author's afterword, on the July War of 2006. After a weekend visit in bustling Beirut, little Luli looks forward to rejoining his three beloved cats cy the Fat, Lucy the Skinny, and Lucy Lucy. But falling bombs drive Luli and his parents back to Beirut for more than a month, and when they return home to their village, only the first two Lucys greet them. As the residents clear away the rubble and it becomes clear that Lucy Lucy is gone, Luli remembers her: "Always in my memories and in my dreams, where there are no more bombings and the world is at peace." 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 struction is rarely visible. A poignant alternative to the intense Sami and the Time of the Troubles (1992), by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, or child's-eye views of other wars for younger audiences, such as Sky of Afghanistan (2012), by Ana A. de Eulate.

School Library Journal (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

Gr 2-4 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. Luli, a happy young boy, has three catsLucy the Fat, Lucy the Skinny, and Lucy Lucy. He leaves them behind for what is meant to be a quick weekend with relatives in the city but turns into weeks of hiding and worry as the country is racked by air raids. After more than a month, a cease-fire is declared and the family are able to return home and search for the cats. Lucy the Fat and Lucy the Skinny eventually appearbut no Lucy Lucy. Luli continues to search and hope for the feline to appear over the next few weeks but finally accepts that she is really gone. As Luli processes his grief, the missing animal becomes a comforting memory and a symbol of the peace he hopes for in the world. The complicated emotions of the family are highlighted in the sweeping watercolor illustrations, which add depth while avoiding scary imagery. On a particularly powerful spread, Luli and his family are driving home when the bombing starts, and the peaceful moonlit night changes to a scene where only the family's faces are shown, bathed in orange light as they stare out of the car in fear. VERDICT This book provides appropriate context for difficult topics, making it a good choice to spark discussion in libraries.— Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN

Horn Book (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

Lebanese boy Luli is heartbroken by the disappearance of one of his three cats (all named Lucy) after his hometown is bombed. Soft watercolor illustrations move between warm oranges and cool blues to reflect Luli's feelings of love and fear. Inspired by Charara's own experiences during Lebanon's 2006 July War (with Israel), Luli's story is a quiet, hopeful exploration of conflict, grief, and healing.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A Lebanese boy named Luli gives a frank, child-s-eye view of the toll that war inflicts on families and communities in Charara-s empathic picture book debut, based on his family-s experience during the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. In early scenes, Luli describes life in his seaside home, where he revels in the company of three cats-the Lucys of the title. Following a trip to Beirut to visit Luli-s aunt and uncle, the family is driving home when a -red streak shoots across the horizon and a loud boom fills the air.- The bombs force Luli and his parents to return to Beirut, where they stay with their relatives for weeks, Luli-s thoughts often with the Lucys. 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. Ages 8-9. (Sept.)