THE DAY WAR CAME by Nicola Davies.  Illus. by Rebecca Cobb.  Somerville, Mass:  Candlewick Press, 2018.  32p.  ISBN 978-153620173-4 hc. $16.99     Gr. K-3     E PIC

On a typical day, a young girl begins her day at home with family and goes to school where she studies in the company of her friends.  "Just after lunch," the noise of war edges closer and, as war arrives, the bright illustrations quickly transition to gray clouds of confusion.  Separated from all that is familiar, the girl becomes a refugee and joins a crowd of others to find safety.  Davies presents a powerful story about the universal devastation of war and how hard it is to rebuild your life afterwards.  Upon finding a school, a symbol of safety for her, the girl is turned away at the door because the war left a shortage of chairs for students to sit on.  There is no room for her.  However, the other refugee children bring her a chair and welcome her to class.  As the illustrations depict color once again, readers regain a sense of hope for an end to all wars.  The impact of this story, along with Cobb's illustrations will stay with readers for a long time.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI