I will start my review off with, there is absolutely nothing wrong with The Blue Scarf by Mohamed Danawi. Is it a bit saccharine-sweet? Sure. But that does not mean it cannot be good. It just means that a reader like me needs to be in the right frame of mind when reading it. And I was. Mostly. Okay, it was too cute for today. But ask me tomorrow. Or ask someone who likes emotion pulling tales and see what they think.
Ask someone what they think of Layla’s story. Of how she lost her blue scarf because fire rains from the sky. And because of this, she must leave her world of all Blue. And see what people think when she and her blue boat head to different lands, such as Red, Orange, and Purple. And ask them what they think of the Rainbow World and how (semi-spoiler) Layla finds her beloved scarf again. See what people think of the metaphor of your scarf is your identity, and even though it might be misplaced, it is never truly lost.
And then you can find out how Ruaida Mannaa did on their illustrations. They are simple, but far from simplistic. They add to the sweet flavor of things. Each color has a traditional (maybe slightly stereotypical) culture it represents. Red I am assuming is Japan, then there is an African culture, an Arab world, and even (I am assuming) Mexico. And Rainbow Land (again assuming) the United States. The colors are popping, but do not fall of the page (they just go to the edge as they filled the page to the brink).
This is an art book. A book about refugees. A book about finding yourself. And about being safe with who you are with others, even if they are not like you.
