Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review A child caught up in the terror of wartime: that's the subject of this compelling picture book by the authors and illustrator of The Day of Ahmed's Secret Firmly rooted in the lives of a Beirut family during the recent war, this quiet story reminds us of the troubles in Northern Ireland, the ethnic crossfire in Eastern Europe, the underground bomb shelters of World War II.All his life, 10-year-old Sami has known guns and bombs. The crashes shake the walls of the basement where he lives most of the time with his mother, his sister, his uncle, and his grandfather. His father was killed in an explosion in the market. As Sami waits in the basement and the adults huddle around the radio, he thinks of the quiet days when it's safe to go upstairs, when he can go to school and play with his friend. He remembers a day in the sunlight on the beach and how everyone socializes in the market. And he remembers the story his grandfather always tells him of the day the children marched in the streets to stop the war.The book is never exploitive. The front as well as the endpapers show the desolation of a neighborhood after a car bomb, but among the ruins, there's renewal, the hope of individuals who care about each other, picking up their lives again. This may be Lewin's best work yet. His stunning watercolors make the dark basement glow with the richness of the carpets that the family has brought down there. Everywhere, on walls, mattresses, and floor, there are carpets woven in the traditional intricate designs that have lasted for centuries. Against both the shadows and the brilliantly colored patterns, the portraits of Sami and his family are lit with beauty. (Reviewed Apr. 1, 1992)

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 3 Up-- Ten-year-old Sami lives in Beirut, Lebanon. Because of gunfire and bombing in the streets, he and his family spend much of their time in the basement of an uncle's house. There they listen to the radio or stare at the carpets Sami's mother insisted on bringing along as reminders of a normal life. When there is a lull in the fighting, the boy enjoys a day at the beach or meets with a friend to make a fort and play at war. When we are older, we will have real guns,''' says Amir. Sami disagrees.The fighting will be over then. It cannot last forever.''' At the story's end, Sami and his family are back underground listening as the ``noises of the night'' begin. As in The Day of Ahmed's Secret (Lothrop, 1990), three marvelously talented collaborators offer a powerful, poignant book. Heide and Gilliland's lyrically written, haunting story makes clear that war threatens not only physical existence but affects the human spirit as well. Lewin's watercolor illustrations capture contemporary Beirut with stunning clarity and drama. A bridal party walks through the rubble of a bombed-out street, old men drink coffee and smoke water-pipes, a blue sky startles with its brilliance. And Sami--surrounded by the carpets whose muted colors suggest a glimmering of hope--waits in the black cave of a basement. Unforgettable. --Ellen D. Warwick, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA

Horn Book

Illustrated with graceful watercolors and narrated in the first person, ten-year-old Sami's story of his life in Beirut is one of constant fear, memories of his father lost to the violence, and a few treasured days of peace. The moving testament to the desire for peace will leave readers with a sense of hope that Sami and the other young people of the city will be able to make a difference.

Kirkus Reviews

It is a time of guns and bombs. It is a time that has lasted all my life, and I am ten years old.'' So Sami begins his picture of life in contemporary Beirut, where he lives with his widowed mother, his grandfather, and his little sister in a basement lined with glowing carpets that are a poignant reminder of how beautiful life once was. Sami remembers picnicking at the beach once; he listens to his grandfather's stories and to the bombs; finally, on a rare, quiet day when the radio says it's safe, the family ventures out. The fort Sami built with friend Amir is gone, but, miraculously, there is fresh food to buy, even a wedding to observe. Sami and Amir play a war game, but also rememberthe day of the children,'' a long-ago demonstration against the fighting; now Sami understands his grandfather's unspoken hope that the next generation will be wiser. Vividly evoking Sami's strife-torn world, the gracefully understated text is stunningly illustrated in broad double-spread watercolors. Lewin's characterizations are sensitive and compelling; his lovely, dark interiors bespeak the characters' continuing courage and grief, while outdoor scenes dramatize life persisting amid the destruction. An outstanding book that, fortunately, is already somewhat out of date; an explanatory note would have been useful to young readers trying to put this in context. (Picture book. 6+)"

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

In this poignant and appealing'' story, a boy longs for peace in his war-torn Beirut; PW noted that Lewin's artexudes a brave optimism.'' Ages 5-9. (Sept.)