OUTSIDE AMELIA’S WINDOW
By: Caroline Nastro
Illustrated by: Anca Sandu Budisan
Published: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Two Lions
Fiction
Outside of Amelia’s window, there is a whole world going on, but Amelia doesn’t feel like she can be part of it. After her injury, Amelia is confined to a wheelchair. Even when two children move in next door, Amelia still believes she can’t possibly join them in playing. Then a bird stops by her window and uses some of Amelia’s things to build her nest. As she watches the nest be built, the eggs hatch, and the baby birds grow and learn to fly, Amelia wonders if she could do the same thing.
Amelia’s mind is full of imagination and she dreams of worlds far away, much like the ones the tiny Restarts fly thousands of miles to live, in the rainforests of Venezuela. Amelia knows she can’t go that far in real life, but she can in her imagination. One day, as she watches the birds take their final flight away from their nest, Amelia wonders if she can leave her nest too and meet the two new friends.
This is a beautiful story for any child who feels different or left out. The watercolored illustrations were absolutely beautiful and each page could be frameable. Amelia will inspire children of all ages to step out of their comfort zone and embrace the blessings of friendships, imagination, and new beginnings.
Caroline Nastro was born and raised in New York City. Her first picture book, The Bear Who Couldn’t Sleep, illustrated by Vanya Nastanlieva, has been translated into three languages and was chosen as a Bank Street Best Picture Book of the Year in Spanish. Outside Amelia’s Window is Anca Sandu Budisan and Caroline Nastro’s second collaboration. Their first book, Fly, Little Bird, Fly!, was published in 2021. Caroline attended the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and has a master’s degree in theater from Stanford University. She is an award-winning theater director and playwright. Learn more about the author, HERE.
Anca Sandu Budisan was born in Romania and studied children’s illustration at Cambridge School of Art in England. She is the author and illustrator of the picture books Churchill’s Tale of Tails and The Astonishing Case of the Stolen Stories. She is the illustrator of the Lana Lynn series, written by Rebecca Van Slyke; Gnu and Shrew, written by Danny Schnitzlein; and Fly, Little Bird, Fly!, written by Caroline Nastro. She currently lives in Oregon. Learn more about the artist, HERE.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Anca Sandu Budisan, birds, Book Review, Caroline Nastro, Children's books, Disability, fiction