Aleppo’s city center no longer echoes with the rich, exciting sounds of copper-pot pounding and traditional sword sharpening. His neighborhood is empty—except for the many cats left behind.
Alaa loves Aleppo, but when war comes his neighbors flee to safety, leaving their many pets behind. Alaa decides to stay—he can make a difference by driving an ambulance, carrying the sick and wounded to safety. One day he hears hungry cats calling out to him on his way home. They are lonely and scared, just like him. He feeds and pets them to let them know they are loved. The next day more cats come, and then even more! There are too many for Alaa to take care of on his own. Alaa has a big heart, but he will need help from others if he wants to keep all of his new friends safe.
“A Note from Alaa.” Authors’ notes. Illustrator’s note. Art references. Full-color illustrations drawn with black ink, then scanned in and colored with Adobe Photoshop.
Topics Animal rescue. Cats. Aleppo, Syria. History of Syrian Civil War, 2011. Animal sanctuaries.
Lexile AD610L
Trim Size 10 2/3" x 9"
JLG Span Fall
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2020-04-13
JLG Release Date Aug 2020
Minimum grade 2
Maximum grade 6
Reading level Elementary
Format Print
Multicultural Elementary (Grades 2-6)
Multicultural Elementary
Multicultural Elementary (Grades 2-6)
For Grades 2-6
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