Summary
This book is based on the true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, an ambulance driver living in the city of Aleppo, Syria. When war started in 2011, many people fled Aleppo and were forced to become refugees. Alaa stayed behind to help care for his neighbors but quickly realized that it wasn’t just people that needed help. There were many hungry, abandoned cats who needed his help too. While there were too many to care for alone, he asked the world for help and the world answered his call.
Theme(s):
Courage, Compassion, Loss
Personal Response
Since I have not experienced war firsthand, this book was more of a window for me. However, I found this book to be heartwarming and unlike anything I’ve read. It was inspiring to read about how selfless Alaa was during this time, especially when he very easily could have just worried about himself and his own survival. It was also encouraging to see how much the world stepped up to help those in need. This book made me curious to learn more about Alaa and his work.
Teaching Ideas
I think this could be a great book to teach kids about helping others in need and how they are never too young to take action. After reading and learning about Alaa and his work with the cats in Aleppo, you could research places in need (ex. somewhere that recently had a natural disaster etc.) and make a plan for ways to help them. This might mean doing a food drive or a fundraiser of some sort to help out and make a difference.
Recommended Reading Level
Grade 03, Grade 04, Grade 05, Grade 06
