Perspective

What the Kite Saw by Anne Laurel Carter and Akin Duzakin is a moving picture book about finding hope in a place threatened by war.

There is a family who has been torn apart by war in their country. Father and brother have been taken away. Mother, narrator and sister are left at home to question and wonder where they are and if they will return. Staying inside and hearing gunshots from outside the window, they are forced to stay confined but for 1 hour a day when the curfew is lifted. The narrator thinks about a kite and all of the things a kite might see as it sailed over the city. Inspiring their friends, the children all make kites and for one brief moment at night, the world is full of hope.

What the Kite Saw is a devastating account of the effects of war on cities, families and children and how they cope with the tragedy all around them. The idea of storytelling is often a coping mechanism when the world seems dark and scary. Stories given us hope, a little light in the night to guide our thoughts and protect us from the devastation. I love how Anne Laurel Carter chose the kite as the vehicle for story telling. A kite is a familiar object to children regardless of where they live and this story is a beacon to any child who has lived or is currently experiencing the effects of a war. I would love to see teachers use this story as a jumping off point to have students brainstorm exactly what the kite would have seen and perhaps compare that to what a kite flown in a child’s own neighbourhood would see. I would also love to see this book not only read to young children but to older, high school aged teens as well. There are so many different directions this story can take depending on the age and experience of the reader.

The illustrations by Akin Duzakin are striking. Very dark and earthy and filled with the colours of army fatigues and tanks, expect for the kites. The kites, the symbols of hope, are full of colour and light up the night sky, if for just a brief moment.