I think this was a good book about welcoming new neighbors, especially immigrants that don’t know anyone here. I thought it was a sweet book!

This is a very nice and simple story, and while I loved the message of community coming together, I worry that the new neighbors were seen as a charity case? That said, there are important lessons about sharing and kindness in here for young ones, and the illustrations are very lovely. I also appreciate the extra resources at the end.

The purpose of the book is good but the overall flow of the book didn't work for me.

It got the point across about excepting people but personally it should have had a little more detail.

Fine book about immigrant neighbors, I’m assuming refugees as they say they had to leave quickly and miss things at their old place. I think previous reviewers really missed the mark here. This book is not attempting to tackle the complexities of immigration or race relations. It’s really just a simple tale as old as time in kids books: be kind, be accepting of others even those different from you. It’s just added another layer that is modern and more reflective of certain experiences. Nothing really all that new in this regard.

A simple story that attempts to portray immigration as a subject of universal empathy which ultimately led to a shallow story. The main characters are Evie Gold (white presenting, Jewish, grandparents immigrated to USA) and Bimi Said (brown, possibly Arab, Muslim, recently moved to the USA). Although the illustrations are memorable, the text has less weight.

There's little to no character development for Evie and Bimi, and their relationship relies on the fact that Evie's white presenting grandparents immigrated to the USA (and thus, Evie has something in common with Bimi). In the text, we see that one neighbor (Mrs. Monroe) is wary of the new family, but the reason is never explicitly stated. Because of the nature of this story, that omission is to this story's detriment. Evie remarks that Mrs. Monroe "wasn't born in America," implying that the experience of immigration once again gives a character common ground with Bimi's family.

Mrs. Monroe never explicitly learns to overcome her biases either (which isn't necessary, but the text implies that she will/has by the end). It is the Said Family that welcomes her, and this plays into the sentiment that people who are ostracized should open themselves up to people who would not show the same kindness to them. Although there are definitely times that kindness should be extended, it is equally important to know when to protect oneself from harm.

Both author and illustrator are white presenting, and while the illustrator is from Kiev, this story would have benefited from a sensitivity reader who shares marginalizations with Bimi in order to give more care to his part in the story. Ultimately, this book centered white comfort and assimilation above all else.

My children and I loved the story and the artwork. The story was an interesting one to read and my children asked to read it again. Always a sign of a good book.