In this beautifully illustrated book for children, using the gentle characters of a mother deer and son, Mr. Kiley created awareness of the many challenges related to refugees seeking asylum. The book offers both adult and children readers a great opportunity to begin dialogue about these issues, so relevant in today's world where fear often influences a lack of acceptance of others.
I believe this book is not only a good read for parents and their children, but would also be a great asset for other community groups to use in their educational programs. At the end of the book, there are resources and questions for discussion that are helpful guides in this process.
Speaking as a retired pediatric RN, mother and grandmother, I want to highly recommend this well written book to others who want to open the hearts and minds of our children, the future of our world. I look forward to reading and sharing new books in this series with the young people in my life!

The story is very well written and the illustrations are lovely. I would hope that we as American's do not think that immigrants are lazy and come here so they do not have to work. Maybe some do- but there is a big discussion to have with your 2-3 graders here. I see that immigrants work harder than your average American.
There is also a statement when the guards say. "We don't want you here." I hate to think that we don't want the deer in our forest - but that we want to make sure that the forest has enough grass to feed all the deer coming in.
This book is thought provoking and leaves much to discuss with your children.
I actually love books that cause children and parents to dig deep. Even my fourteen-year-old got into this discussion after reading the book. We Googled and researched current border policies to find what the truth is today. How much progress has been made. Are children still separated from their parents.
Then we took a right turn and started discussing refugees and how other countries are not safe and what options do people have other than to find a new home. WOW- then their dad (who is a Marine) got into the debate- talking about protecting people in other countries all while keeping our nation safe.
Good stuff - Not an easy subject- But I like that. As parents we need to tackle the hard stuff with our kids. This book is great for the older kids to. In fact, the older ones got into it more than the 1st and 2nd graders.

I am telling myself to get the physical copy of this storybook when it comes out. The illustrations and the story telling is just top-notch! The reading experience will be much, much better with the physical copy I say!

Because this book is really important to me. It gives me all the classic storybook feels. It's emotional, urgent and important.

The story depicts how the lives of the wildlife are endangered told from the perspective of a white-tailed deer, Hope, who is struggling to survive and stay safe worrying about the safety of her own fawn, Freckles.

This is heartbreaking to read. At the same time, it is hopeful, and informative regarding how animals get shifted to another place and the procedures that are required. 

This storybook is such an eye-opener for me. 

Waiting for the book to hit the stores!

How do we convey to children the gut wrenching story of refugees, and consider with them how to respond to their plight? Bill Kiley’s first book, Hope and Freckles: Fleeing to a New Forest, offers a moving, helpful allegory. Picture books give to children (and their care-givers) something analogous to a box of crayons or sleeve of tempera paint: an enticing palette of ideas and emotions, even wisdom, that we can use to sketch out what we most value. Empathy, courage, resilience, humor, honesty, accountability to self and others were each embodied in the stack of dog-eared favorites we kept beside our daughter’s bed or in a basket by the “cozy chair,” as she called it. In one way or another, each of those books humanized us, holding up a mirror to who we are and who we hope to be—Hope and Freckles is one of those stories.
 

The illustrations were delightful! The story was touching and full of emotion! The useful definitions, resources for parents, and questions for discussion in the back of the book were great additions. I strongly believe this will get young children involved and thinking and I cannot get over how BEAUTIFUL the illustrations are!

Wow. What a powerful and meaningful way to explain the plight of refugees to children through the story of a mother deer, Hope, and her fawn, Freckles. I found myself getting emotional when I made the connections between this book and what has been happening with refugees in our world. Younger children will empathize with Hope and Freckles story, while older children should be able to grasp the parallels between the book and reality. Everyone, and everything, on this planet deserves to be together in a place where they feel safe, and this book shows this concept to children in a brilliant way. I would like to thank #NetGalley and #MascotBooks for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.