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Rosa's Song
by Helena Ku Rhee
“When I fly away, my heart stays here”
Jae is a boy in a new country, learning a new language, and making new friends when he meets Rosa and her lovable bird Pollito. Together, they embark on adventures both real and imaginary, and Rosa helps Jae adjust to life in a new place. Moving watercolor illustrations turn Jae’s alley views into shops and mountains, and a whoosh of water turns an ear against the wall into an ocean. As Rosa and Jae’s adventures continue, the illustrations become more vibrant, and pages that started as mostly white space become eye-catching double-spread illustrations that are dynamic enough to make a reader feel that they are adventuring with them. That is, until Rosa unknowingly moves away.
This story addresses complex themes with a gentle hand, using both Jae’s arrival in a new country and Rosa’s departure from it to address immigration and grief for both a person and a place. The repetitive nature of the story’s beginning allows children to feel comfortable and get to know our characters, so the emotional impact of Rosa’s move and the resulting change in pace in the plot is deeply felt by characters and readers alike. This tale solidifies the mantra “home is where the heart is,” encouraging children to make new friends, as even when they leave a place physically, their heart remains with the people who love them.
Jae is a boy in a new country, learning a new language, and making new friends when he meets Rosa and her lovable bird Pollito. Together, they embark on adventures both real and imaginary, and Rosa helps Jae adjust to life in a new place. Moving watercolor illustrations turn Jae’s alley views into shops and mountains, and a whoosh of water turns an ear against the wall into an ocean. As Rosa and Jae’s adventures continue, the illustrations become more vibrant, and pages that started as mostly white space become eye-catching double-spread illustrations that are dynamic enough to make a reader feel that they are adventuring with them. That is, until Rosa unknowingly moves away.
This story addresses complex themes with a gentle hand, using both Jae’s arrival in a new country and Rosa’s departure from it to address immigration and grief for both a person and a place. The repetitive nature of the story’s beginning allows children to feel comfortable and get to know our characters, so the emotional impact of Rosa’s move and the resulting change in pace in the plot is deeply felt by characters and readers alike. This tale solidifies the mantra “home is where the heart is,” encouraging children to make new friends, as even when they leave a place physically, their heart remains with the people who love them.