Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams, Khadra Mohammad, Khadra Mohammad, Doug Chayka (Illustrator), Doug Chayka (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

When relief workers bring used clothing to the refugee camp, everyone scrambles to grab whatever they can. Ten-year-old Lina is thrilled when she finds a sandal that fits her foot perfectly, until she sees that another girl has the matching shoe. tSoon Lina and Feroza meet, each wearing one coveted sandal. Together they solve the problem of having four feet and two sandals.

As the girls go about their routines -- washing clothes in the river, waiting in long lines for water, and watching for their names to appear on the list to go to America -- the sandals remind them that friendship is what is most important.

Publishers Weekly

Based on Mohammed's work with refugees in the city of Peshawar (on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border), this poignant story centers on two Afghani girls, each of whom ends up with half of a pair of sandals after relief workers bring used clothing to their refugee camp. Lina and Feroza agree to share the shoes, taking turns wearing them and sometimes each wearing one. They also share their stories: Lina tells of her family's midnight flight after her father and sister were killed, and Feroza responds, "I have only my grandmother now." After Lina learns that her family will be able to relocate to America, the girls go back and forth about who should keep the sandals, and ultimately decide to each keep one to better remember the other. Paired with Williams's (Circles of Hope) straightforward narrative, Chayka's (The Pink House at the Seashore) acrylic paintings, rendered in broad swaths of color, offer a glimpse of the seldom viewed, chore-filled lives of children in a refugee camp, where only boys can attend school and crowds fight for supplies and clothing. The bright yellow sandals, each decorated with a blue flower, shine against the muted desert landscape, a well-chosen and meaningful symbol of both privation and hope. Ages 7-10. (Oct.)

Children's Literature

The tragedy of refugee children all over the world is brought to life for young readers in this tale of two girls who meet in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Young Lina rushes to gather what she can from the used clothing tossed off a truck by relief workers. She finds a single sandal, but it is new and it fits, and she has not had shoes in two years. But then she sees that another girl, probably a new arrival, has found the other sandal. When they meet washing clothes, the other girl offers Lina the other sandal, but Lina tells her that they should share, each having the pair for a day. They become friends, sharing their terrible war experiences, and their dreams for the future. When Lina's family is chosen for resettlement, each of the girls keeps one of the sandals, with the hope that they can "share again in America." Chayka's acrylic paintings, mainly double page scenes of the camp, convey the drab dullness of the girls' lives. He depicts the tents, clothing, and people in broad strokes, leaving out most details but keeping aspects of the design to convey the emotional content. Browns and tans dominate, reflecting the desert, but the bright yellow sandals add a touch of cheer. A note adds information about refugees in general and on the experiences in a camp in Peshawar on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in particular.

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