Taking Flight

Kashmira Sheth was born in India with Gujarati as her mother tongue, and began learning English in fifth grade. She had lived in Bhavnagar and Mumbai before moving to United States when she was seventeen to attend Iowa State University, where she received a BS in microbiology. Before becoming an author, Kashmira had many different jobs, including running a dance school and choreographing and performing Indian dances, working in a bakery, and working as a food microbiologist. She is the author of several picture books, chapter books, and middle grade and young adult novels.Nicolò Carozzi is a Veronese architect, teacher, and illustrator. He was awarded first prize for the EurHope illustration competition in 2013, and has been a shortlisted illustrator for three Folio Society competitions. His author-illustrator debut Brave as a Mouse received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was a Bank Street Best Children's Book.

"This book is truly as stunning as it is timely. I read it with my heart in my mouth and was reminded once again of the beauty, resilience and grace of young people." —Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of The Day You Begin"With gorgeous language, sweeping illustrations, and an abundance of compassion, this book shares the heartache and hope that bring many families to a new life in a new land." —Pat Zietlow Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Be Kind★ "In second-person prose and close-hatched, realistic images, Sheth and Carozzi’s deeply felt tale braids together tales of three young refugees . . . Digitally enhanced graphite illustrations crisply portray the youths’ homelands and individual experiences in a title that spotlights difficult, necessary journeys and ends with images of hope." —Publishers Weekly, starred review"Sheth compassionately acknowledges the heartbreak they’ve endured and underscores their resilience. Carozzi’s soft and detailed digitally enhanced graphite illustrations evoke the tenderness of Sheth’s text . . . Comforting and uplifting." —Kirkus"[A] tender portrayal of the refugee experience . . . Simple descriptions are honest without being harsh . . . Delicately drawn graphite illustrations have a sort of melancholic softness, with hatching linework, subtle smudging, and somber hues . . . the wide-eyed expressions, downcast eyes, and, eventually, hopeful stares telegraph the individual kids’ emotions with clarity and skill." —BCCB"This book takes care to focus on the refugee experience in a trauma-informed manner, making it a good collection choice for libraries with refugee populations." —School Library Journal