A thoughtfully illustrated picture book, made in partnership with Save the Children, and based on the real lives of Rohingya children living in the refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority of 1.3 million, formerly living in the Rakhine State within Myanmar. In summer 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people fled violence in their home and sought safety in neighboring Bangladesh. More than half of those fleeing were children. The story centers around Faisal, a young Rohingya boy in a Bangladeshi refugee camp, who finds a bird with a broken wing and decides to take care of it with his sisters. Life in the camp is not always easy, so the children are thrilled to have a pet to look after. But as the bird's wing slowly heals, they are faced with a difficult choice. Can they let go of something they dearly love? Themed around universal childhood joys that are relatable by all children, the story helps young children to empathize with situations that are different than their own. With artwork that authentically depicts life in a crowded refugee camp, 'The Unexpected Friend - A Rohingya Children's Story' is a fitting book to introduce children to social justice, specifically the worldwide refugee humanitarian crisis. Profits from the sale of this book will be donated to Save the Children's Rohingya Relief Fund. K-Gr 4—Faisal is on his way home from prayers at the mosque in the refugee camp where he lives in Bangladesh. His family walked there from Myanmar, where it was no longer safe for them to live. He finds an injured bird and decides to take it home to see if he can help it. Faisal falls as he's gathering firewood and injures his arm, so he and the bird are healing together. When they are both well, Faisal finds that he has grown attached to the bird and doesn't want to let him go, but eventually does. The choice of the crisp colorful style of the illustrations paired with such a somber, desperate setting is stunning. The images have sharp edges and no shadows, which gives them a bit of a folkloric feel, but perfectly reflects each scene. The book will evoke empathy from readers, even though the messaging is deliberately understated. VERDICT This beautiful offering has a lovely message of helping others, making it a solid choice for collections needing titles about social emotional learning or the plight of refugees.—Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FL Raya Rahman is the founder and editor of a bilingual picture book company called Guba Publishing. She works in partnership with other authors, illustrators and non-profit organizations to publish diverse and multicultural children's stories and learning resources. Raya lives in Oakland, California with her husband and their two daughters. Inshra Sakhawat Russell is a filmmaker, photographer, writer and illustrator with a diverse range of creative projects under her belt. Inshra's creations include "The Singing Teacher"- a short film she directed and produced, advertising campaigns for Aarong - a Bangladeshi artisan based retailer, numerous music videos for musicians in London and her debut picture book "Tiny Jumps In". She lives in London, U.K. with her husband and their son, Ruben. Mitali Perkins is the author of several novels for children, including SECRET KEEPER, the First Daughter series, RICKSHAW GIRL, MONSOON SUMMER, and THE NOT SO STAR-SPANGLED LIFE OF SUNITA SEN. She lives in California.