Cartwheel moves to a new country with her auntie, and everything is strange: the animals, the plants—even the wind. An old blanket gives Cartwheel comfort when she’s sad—and a new blanket just might change her world. This multicultural story of friendship is about leaving home, moving to a foreign and strange place, and finding a new friend. It's a story for all who have experienced change. Irena Kobald’s poetic text, paired with Kate Greenaway medalist Freya Blackwood's powerful paintings, renders an emotional and heart-warming story about two children from diverse backgrounds coming together to become new friends. * "Loneliness, cultural displacement, tentative friendship, and an explosion of sharing and kindness are accessible even to very young readers...An amazingly lovely import." — Kirkus , starred review "With its bold visual metaphors, "My Two Blankets" ingeniously captures a child's efforts to weave the old with the new." — New York Times Book Review "The blanket metaphor is powerful, and the way that sounds are depicted through shape and line works well." — School Library Journal "The illustrations, a combination of watercolor and oils, heighten the effect of the thought-provoking story. Just the right format for children to think about immigrants and friendship." — Booklist Irena Kobald is multi-lingual Austrian immigrant to Australia, who teaches aboriginal children in Australian outback communities (the closest shop is 250 kms away!). The children she teaches use English as a fifth language (many speak several Aboriginal languages).  Freya Blackwood grew up in New South Wales, Australia, and created several of her own illustrated books as a child. She is the illustrator of many acclaimed picture books published throughout the world, including My Two Blankets . After time in Sydney and New Zealand, she now lives in New South Wales with her daughter. www.freyablackwood.com.au