We live in a global community and as such, there is a richness of experiences all around us. It is vital for young readers to have many different experiences reflected in the books they read. The Most Beautiful Thing I Have Ever Seen by Nadia Devi Umadat and Christine Wei is a story about a family and their journey to their new home. It’s a story that reflects journeys and experiences of many newcomers and refugees and offers insights into the feelings of arriving in a new place.

A girl, her bossy sister and her Mama had to leave their first home. It had become too dangerous and things were very sad. They leave in the night with just a suitcase and board an airplane to their new home. Things are different and some of the fear and sadness of the old home return on occasion but they are happy.

Nadia Devi Umadat has crafted a brilliant story that doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about the experiences of newcomers and refugees but also doesn’t scare young readers. She lays out the experiences in thoughtful, straightforward language and in a voice that is very much that of a young person’s. I appreciate how the reader is never told exactly where the young girl and her family come from or where they settle. We know they come from a country that is always hot, perhaps somewhere in the Middle East or Africa, and that they have settled in a place that experiences all four seasons. I like the open-endedness of the story so that any child, regardless of where they came from and where they now live, can see their own experiences shine through.

I appreciated the joy throughout the story. Even when things were sad or scary, the child was able to reflect on the wonder of the experience. Their first airplane ride, their first snowfall, their first English class. All of these firsts will be familiar to those in a similar situation and will remind other readers of all of the first their classmates may be experiencing and to offer a little grace.

Christine Wei’s illustrations are beautiful. The mixed media style lends itself brilliantly to the subject matter. Things being left behind and having to use resources available. The faces of the people are at the forefront and they shine.