Awards for The Whispering Cloth

IRA: Teachers' Choice

IRA Notable Book for a Global Society

NCTE Notable Children's Book

CBC/NCSS Notable Children’s Book in the Social Studies

Hungry Mind Review: Finalist, Book of Distinction Award

Texas "Best of the Best" 1995

Kansas State Reading Circle Selection

Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo): Selection for Books to Grow By

Selection: 300 Great Books for Girls

Plus "Recommended Title" for many other state & county reading lists

THE WHISPERING CLOTH REVIEWS

HNEEN  (Hmong New England Entertainment): “In a time when we needed something to be proud of, Pegi Deitz Shea has shown us what we already have. We should read this book to our children.”

New York Times: “Sometimes a story comes to you and it is a gift…and you tell it because youy have to. …Behind the barbed wire [Shea] saw a little girl sitting at the feet of her grandmother and couldn’t forget.”

School Library Journal: “A tale of restrained anguish, it ends nevertheless on a note of stubborn optimism.”

Booklist: “The final pa’ndau of Mai flying in an airplane to a land of comfort and safety is a moving representation of the dreams of refugees everywhere.” Hazel Rochman

Publishers Weekly:  “Closeup photos of Yang’s textured needlework, as well as [Anita} Riggio’s accomplished watercolor and gouache paintings add to the poignancy of the tale. Bound to elicit many questions.”

Cleveland Plain Dealer: “A remarkable, innovative collaboration.” Jane Resh Thomas

Awards for Tangled Threads

2003 Junior Library Guild Selection

IRA Notable Book for Global Society

New York Public Library "Top 100 Books"

Connecticut Book Award

Boston Author's Club Award: Finalist

BookSense Great Title for Ages 9-12

Skipping Stones Honor Book

TANGLED THREADS REVIEWS

*Publishers Weekly, 9/22/03, Starred Review with Cover Photo. "First time novelist Shea deftly traces the physical and emotional journey of a 13-year-old orphan from Laos, who is assimilated into American Society. ... While eloquently expressing how the threads tying Mai Yang to her heritage become entangled with new values, the author creates a delicate, credible balance between sorrow and joy, and builds dramatic tension as Mai Yang struggles to become American without losing her Hmong identify. Besides learning much about the Hmong culture, readers gain an opportunity to observe American society from a different vantage point as Mai Yang is inundated with sometimes disturbing, sometimes remarkable images of contemporary culture."

Minneapolis Star Tribune: with cover photo. "...Is it possible, or even desirable, to remain a "good Hmong" in a country where the values so often conflict with the ones Mai has always known? Through a range of characters, Shea shows that this question has different answers; and she manages to lend a measure of dignity to each one, whether the choice is to stick with tradition, abandon it altogether or, as Mai does, position oneself somewhere in between." Christine Hepperman

VOYA:  "...There have been many young adult novels about East and Southeast Asians adjusting to life in the West in recent years, but few as engaging as this one. Mai is a delightful protagonist and Shea adeptly uses her first person narration to fully engage the reader in Mai's struggle.... Librarians with Hmong patrons should purchase multiple copies, although the book is good enough to be enjoyed by any middle school student." Michael Levy

School Library Journal: "...this bittersweet story balances social and intellectual pursuits against the strained relations of a family tapping roots into a new homeland....A good choice for classes studying refugees, multicultural diversity, immigration, Hmong Americans, Laos, and the Vietnam War." Alison Follos.

Booklist: "As seen through Mai's eyes, the wry observations of American habits are amusing and insightful. Her explanations of Hmong culture fit so naturally into the narrative, most readers will not need the appended glossary and information. Respectful and dutiful, yet resilient and independent, Mai wrestles with peer pressure and family expectations in a story that will resonate with immigrant students and enlighten others." Linda Perkins

Kirkus: "...Shea's text successfully portrays the turmoil, excitement, and heartbreak of adjusting to a new country."

Journal Inquirer: "The awards that Pegi Deitz Shea won for her moving picture book, The Whispering Cloth may soon have companions on her wall. ...Shea is good at depicting the sad conditions in the refugee camp, but she's nothing short of brilliant in portraying the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes frightening, and sometimes baffling moments that Mai experiences in adapting to modern American society. Shea's particularly skillful at conveying how Mai, who has long relied on her grandmother to make decisions, now becomes the dominant figure in the relationship, because she adjusts faster to their new life...."

Hartford Courant: "Flip" Semi-Annual Book Review. TANGLED THREADS chosen as one of only ten recommended books as gifts for the holidays.

REVIEWS

Customer Reviews (c/o Amazon)

5.0 out of 5 starsRecommended book on the immigrant experience for teens

By JSutReads

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

STITCH IN TIME, the welcome sequel to TANGLED THREADS and THE WHISPERING CLOTH, follows Hmong immigrant Mai Yang into high school and into more adult problems. The honest and sensitive portrayal of Hmong culture is just as well-written as in the earlier books, and Shea's handling of such teen issues as young love and career aspirations also rings true. Although it can be read alone, it is especially recommended for anyone who has already read Mai's story in the previous books.

5.0 out of 5 starsWeaver of Cloth, Weaver of WordsCountry Country Book Lover on November 3, 2014

By Country Book Lover

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

How fortunate are today's young readers to be able to age along with the protagonists of their favorite books. In Pegi Deitz Shea's "series" of a picture book (The Whispering Cloth), a middle grade novel (Tangled Threads), and a YA novel (Stitch in Time), Mai Yang draws us with her on her journey from a Thai refugee camp to life in the Hmong community in Providence Rhode Island, and now is finishing high school in Stitch in Time. Along the way she walks a tightrope trying to balance her new life without losing precious Hmong traditions, yet yearning to become a genuine American girl.

Added to that is the issue of her growing love for Yia, whom, as a young child, she had met in the camp and meets again in America. He had been widowed when they first met, and now he is again single, with two young sons, and she is more mature….Now she is pulled apart by love and by the need to follow her artistic calling.

The stories themselves in these three books capture the reader quickly, but what makes the trips memorable are the words Shea has woven together so skillfully, just as Mai does in her pa'ndau (story cloths) and later with her more intricate and imaginative art projects.

By An Avid Reader

Format: Paperback

Stitch in Time continues the life-struggles of Mai Yang who we first met in Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl’s Story. Besides being a deeply-felt novel, the book is a great addition to social studies on immigration and the Viet Nam War.

Mai, a talented textile artist, is a senior in high school. Her life is full with dance competitions, friends, and working on a senior project for entrance to her dream school, the Rhode Island School of Design. Then, on an icy January night, her world explodes. The car she and her friends are in stops short of a three car pile-up that has started to blaze. Mai rushes to the car rolled over on its back that is minutes from exploding. To her horror she knows the family in the car, Yia Lor, his wife, and their two young sons.

Mai and Yia had met in a Thai refugee camp when she was twelve. She had felt an immediate attraction to the widowed young man with a small child. On reaching America, they had gone their separate ways, and after a time Mai heard that he had remarried. Mai spent the following years adapting to a new culture. Yia had been out of her reach but not out of her heart. Now she and Yia, severely injured in the crash and once again widowed, are thrown together as Mai helps with the care of his sons. She tries to ignore the attraction she still feels for Yia, but is soon aware that he, too, cares for her.

The book is full of the humor and warmth of Mai’s friends and family, and, in lovely language, we are introduced to the ancient Hmong art of pa’ndau (“flower cloth”) that Mai is creating for her senior project.

5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Literature for Teens

By Small Town Girl

Format: Paperback

This is a fascinating story of how immigrants come to our country and learn to acclimate to their new environment. While the narrative is one that has been repeated through generations, this particular legend comes with a new vision of a foreign culture not as familiar to most. I enjoyed Tangled Threads by the same author that told of Mai's character when she first came to United States of America. This follow-up and continuing story of Mai shows a more mature Mai. We feel her struggles as her teen years lead to many life important decisions that must be made. Throughout the story we get lively bits and pieces of the Hmong culture so that not only are we entertained with an exciting story with many twists and turns, but we also become educated as well. The issues are strong in this teen novel and they encompass young love, educational considerations and even sexual tensions. As a reader I struggled right along with Mai while routing for her to do the right thing as I perceived what the right thing might be for her. This book would be perfect for a teen literature course and I highly recommend it. I would someday like to read the adult version of Mai's life as she continues her journey into adulthood and beyond.

Awards for Noah Webster: Weaver of Words,

Now available in audio!

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book, 2010

Connecticut Book Award, 2010

Junior Library Guild Selection, Fall 2009

CCBC Choice

Skipping Stones Honor Book

SSLI Honor Book

NOAH WEBSTER: WEAVER OF WORDS REVIEWS

Booklist: This highly illustrated, large-format book presents the life of Noah Webster (1758–1843) from his early years, when he neglected work on the family farm in favor of reading, to his later accomplishments, including an Americanized spelling book. Though his influence on political thought and education was notable in his day, he is best remembered for his dictionary of the American language. Shea’s succinct text, longer than that of a picture book and with a reading level suitable for junior-high students, offers a well-organized and clearly written account of Webster’s life, studded with memorable facts and supported by informative sidebars. Rich in color and detail, the oil paintings represent the period well…. Back matter includes an afterword, a chronology, and lists of primary and secondary sources.  — Carolyn Phelan

Kirkus:  "An intriguing introduction."

Library Media Connection: "This biography shares many interesting facts about Webster and his many achievements. Included is a chronology of his major accomplishments from birth to death. There is an extensive bibliography to compensate for the many direct quotes the author uses within the text. Also included are additional reading and websites to visit and a list of the dictionaries Webster published."

More than champion of English language

By Richard Tambling
Journal Inquirer

Published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009 1:15 AM EST

If someone says the name “Noah Webster,” you probably think of one thing.

That’s a mistake, says Pegi Deitz Shea, who’s just added a biography of Webster to the impressive list of titles the author, who lives in the Rockville section of Vernon, has racked up.

“Noah Webster: Weaver of Words” (illustrated by Monica Vachula, Boyds Mills Press/Calkins Creek, 40 pages, ages: 8 and older) certainly pays tribute to Webster’s lexicography — after all, his American dictionary now published as the Merriam-Webster dictionary is what he’s best known for.

But it also details Webster’s contributions to post-Revolutionary War society in the United States as an educator, linguist, social activist, lawyer, patriot, and even scientist.  “The man had the energy of a thousand bees and knowledge was his nectar,” Shea writes in her new picture book.

Awards for Liberty Rising

A Bank Street Best Books of 2007

LIBERTY RISING REVIEWS

The Horn Book: Dazzling pastels emphasize perspective and form, giving both life and bulk to this account of the building of the Statue of Liberty. Shea’s narrative begins with an author’s note that contextualizes the feat in a time before “cars and well before computers.” She goes on to tell exactly how that happened; how the brainchild of Edouard de Laboulaye was painstakingly made reality by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi; how the people of both the United States and France raised the money for the modern Colossus; how Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel designed the skeleton that supports the one-eighth-inch-thick copper skin”; how, once built, the statue was disassembled and shipped across the ocean to be rebuilt one last time.

The text eschews florid delivery, relying upon the accretion of fact upon fact to convey the awe-inspiring nature of the task. This provides a solid base for Zahares’s illustrations to soar, as they employ dizzying perspectives that position the reader at ground level or far above the action. Every line is monumental, startling distinctions between colors making the compositions almost abstract exercises in form, sharp angles amplifying the ever-present sense of structural beams rising into the air. An appended timeline of related facts, a pronunciation guide, and suggested reading round out the presentation.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: Plenty of ink has been devoted to children’s books on the Statue of Liberty, as Shea’s list for further reading attests, but it’s safe to say that no picture book sports the combination of fluent text and startling artwork that his title boasts. While Shea covers the expected ground…, she also notes several details that other accounts overlook, such as the design-tweaking to assure wind resistance, the economic benefits to Parisian businesses near the noisy work site, the designation of “lighthouse” that allowed the U.S. government to help pay  for the installation of the statue. Nothing could be further from the cool, distanced majesty of Lynn Curlee’s Liberty than Zahares’ perspective-bending scenes in saturated, scorching greens, blues, and coppery oranges. With backgrounds forced forward and points of view reeling abruptly from above and below, the audience is swept into a more emotional ride than one usually associates with the sedate Lady Liberty, and a double-page foldout is nearly guaranteed to evoke a gasp or an “Ooh!” Yes, you already have Liberty books on your shelf, but yes, you probably need this one too. A timeline of interesting facts and a brief pronunciation guide are included, along with a list of recommended books.

School Library Journal: “Using the concept of building a house or an office building, Shea introduces the size and scale of creating such a large object. Readers meet Edouard de Laboulaye, the law professor who first had the idea of building a monument representing freedom that would be a gift to the people of the United States from the people of France. His early planning with Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi is highlighted. Each step in the process, from small model (four feet high) to full size is told in simple text. The dismantling of the statue, the 214 train cars that transported it to Rouen for the trip across the Atlantic, and its arrival in New York Harbor in 1885 are mentioned. Finally, the unveiling of the statue on October 28, 1886, is highlighted. The book is easy to read, with three-quarter spreads of illustration and single columns of text. The stylized graphic art is fairly realistic with bold colors and unusual angles to create a sense of excitement. They often have a collage effect. Two pages of interesting facts appear at the end of the book.”

Booklist: Lady Liberty's story is particularly resonant at this time of cooling relations between France and the U.S., and the statue, an icon of the American melting pot, provides a smooth entree to classroom discussions of our nation's founding ideals. Shea's picture book provides good coverage of the topic for children not yet ready for the longer narrative in Lynn Curlee's Liberty (2000). No more than three short paragraphs of text appear on every spread, set alongside scenes rendered in the same exuberant, wildly colored pastels as in Zahares' Window Music (1998) and Delivery (2001)…. A time line, pronunciation guides for French names, and titles for further reading will be appreciated by teachers and young researchers alike.” 

Kirkus: "At last—an engaging story that brings alive the term 'women's suffrage' to young readers. . . . [A] sparkling account."

The Horn Book: "An appealing sample of the resourcefulness of women faced with the bullheadedness of some men."

School Library Journal: “Starting in 1869, two sisters from Glastonbury, CT, protested against taxation without representation. Female property owners were not allowed to vote or speak in town meetings, yet were taxed at a higher rate than their male counterparts. When Abby and Julia Smith refused to pay, their prized cows were seized. The story about these smart and resourceful women is laced with humor as the cows go back and forth….”

Booklist: This title introduces the little-known story of two elderly sisters, Abby and Julia Smith, who fought against the taxation levied upon them as nonvoting citizens in nineteenth-century Connecticut. Their argument, that “taxation without representation” was just what Americans had revolted against one hundred years earlier, won them many supporters in their community and, eventually, the nation, but it barely affected their lawsuits with city fathers. The sisters’ beloved cows became pawns in the arguments, used as collateral and bargaining chips by both sides. The long text’s straightforward language, which includes the specific arithmetic of the conflict, may require some dramatic read-alouds to help draw children into the story. Caldecott Medalist McCully’s watercolor illustrations of the historical scenes enhance this account of a pivotal event in women’s long struggle for equality. Andrew Medlar

ABE IN ARMS REVIEWS

International Rescue Committee: “This book perfectly captures the ambiguity of traumatic memories and the paradox of healing faced by a boy who survived the war but struggles to become whole.” Susan Beam

Doctors Without Borders: This book doesn’t romanticize child soldiers, but is nonetheless a story of their hope in regaining trust in themselves and in others.”

Ferdinand Kalkhuis

West Africa Trauma Team: “Abe in Arms, although fictional in nature, could have been true for any number of young boys in West Africa whose lives were devastated by conscription into the rebel army through force, threats, manipulation, bribery, and drugs. …Pegi Shea engrosses us in the horrors of war, pulls at our heartstrings as we weep for Abe, and causes us to yearn for a time when he can confront the demons that control his life. At the same time, she explores the wrenching irony of war refugees being thrust into an American youth culture that glamorizes the very violence that has caused Abe so much anguish. Sheaʼs resolution, like Abeʼs epiphany, is surprising, believable, and gratifying.” —Eleanor Porter Pershing, Ph.D.,

Albany Times Union: "A gripping tale that takes its place in the sad but necessary literature of Africa’s child soldiers, joining such classics as What Is the What, Dave Eggers’s fictionalized story of Sudanese child soldier Valentino Achak Deng." 

Teaching Tolerance Magazine (SPLC): “Pegi Deitz Shea tells Abe’s story with compassion, educating readers both about the Liberian conflict and about post-traumatic stress disorder and its treatments.

www.ChildrensBooksHeal.com: "Pegi Deitz Shea has written a powerful book for teens about young boys forced to become soldiers in war-torn countries like Liberia. She isn't afraid to take her readers to complicated and uncomfortable places. . . . How will those who survive, ever live normal lives?"

Reach And Teach: "Powerful books like Abe in Arms will help inspire younger and older readers to help put an end to children being trapped in the nightmare of war."  Craig Wiesner, cofounder

www.teensreadtoo.com

Gold Star Award Winner!

…ABE IN ARMS amazed me. In spite of the horrors of child soldiers, war, and struggles to come to terms with who he is and where he came from, Abe is easy to relate to. I found myself turning the pages without realizing I was even doing it. The story drew me in and kept me mesmerized as I learned more about Abe and his life.

This isn't the type of story I would normally read; I'm much more into fantasy and lighthearted fun. However, the truth of Abe's experiences in a war-torn country, and the struggles he faces as he deals with memories he'd much rather forget, compelled me to keep reading until I couldn't help falling in love with ABE IN ARMS.

This eye-opening novel is a must-read! I don't often want to pick up a book and read it again, but I have a feeling I'll be opening ABE IN ARMS again in the near future. Joan Stradling

By Jeanne on September 6, 2010

Format: Paperback

I'm such a fan! I read it in three days and couldn't wait from one reading to the next. It's been on my mind constantly. It was so powerful.

I'm glad to see this kind of writing targeting teens. I read "What is the What" by Dave Eggers. This made the same point, but in a more coherent story. I think it opens up such understanding and such sympathy for PTSD and the courage it takes to survive war. There's such stigma about going to a mental hospital rather than honor in overcoming such devastation. I finished the book in the middle of the night and had to get up to blow my nose.

The writing is so vivid. I could picture the characters, the track meets, the suburban house, the Maryland landscape, the factory grounds - it was all so real. It had just the right amount of sex, temptation, drugs and language to keep it real for a young person. The courage it takes for Abe to survive such horrors certainly puts teen angst in perspective. Pegi Deitz Shea hit the nail on the head.

Jeremy Mineau, Pac 10 & NCAA Championship Runner: “Written in straightforward prose, Abe in Arms hooks you and pulls you in. ….I found myself rooting for Abe on and off the track, cheering when he succeeds and disheartened as he falters.”

NOW IN E-BOOK FORMAT!

Awards for Ten Mice for Tet

IRA Notable Book for Global Society

Bank Street Book of the Year

TEN MICE FOR TET REVIEWS

Parents Magazine: "We love it! It's time to ring in the New Year Vietnamese style through this unique, embroidered pictures and rich story. This charming counting book introduces kids and parents to the customs and festivities of Tet."

Working Mother Magazine: "Mama Media! Learn all about Vietnamese New Year with this book's simple tales and exquisite embroidered illustrations of feasts, fortunes and fireworks."

*Publishers Weekly: Starred Review with Cover Photo. "...The book serves as a marvelous showcase for Viet Dinh's embroidery; Trang's clean compositions provide the template for the embroidery.... Older readers will most appreciate the pictures' exquisite craftsmanship--every inch of every spread is covered in thread--but the cheery cartoon mice, the vivid Southeast Asian palette and exuberant compositions will hold the interest of even the youngest readers. This attractive volume may well provoke a lively discussion on how another culture's holiday can seem both familiar and exotic."

*School Library Journal: Starred Review. "...Extensive end notes following the number sequence take readers back through the book and allow for a more comprehensive explanation of the holiday. In this section, Vietnamese words are followed by the pronunciations in parentheses. This multileveled approach allows this title to be used with children of a wide range of ages. An excellent addition to any collection."

*Kirkus Reviews: Starred Review, "...The authors enhance the minimal main text with extensive endnotes, pointing out significant details while describing traditional foods, beliefs, and customs associated with Tet. Altogether, an inviting, informative introduction to the holiday.”

Awards for Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor & Revolutionary Spy

Notable Book for the Social Studies, by CBC/NCSS

A Bank Street Best Books of 2008

Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, 2007

ALA Amelia Bloomer Project: Recommended Feminist Books

SLJ Curriculum Connections Selection, Fall 2007

REVIEWS

Booklist: As a child, Patience Wright enjoyed sculpting from clay. Years later, after the death of her husband, she decided to support her children through her art. Her wax-modeling business, producing three-dimensional portraits, busts, and life size replicas of clients, became a huge success, as Shea explains in her informative author's note, "a female artist was rare enough...a woman who passionately pursued her career...was unheard of." Wright's life was to become even more unconventional. After moving her business to London, she became privy to information about the Revolutionary War, which she heard from important clients. A wonderful picture of Ben Franklin's wax head illustrates how Wright sent secret messages in sculptures she shipped to America. Shea writes with a dynamic simplicity that brings Wright to life. Andersen has a way with women characters; her cover depiction of Wright, looking straight at the audience, a small wax head in her hand, is particularly effective.

School Library Journal, Selection for “Curriculum Connections”: This biography introduces an obscure but fascinating American Revolutionary figure—a patriotic precursor to Madame Tussaud. Born in Oyster Bay, NY in 1725, Patience Lovell grew up in a Quaker household. From an early age, she exhibited a gift for creating lifelike sculptures, first using clay, and later, wax. Widowed at 45, she moved to Philadelphia, where she opened an art studio [with her widowed sister Rachel Wells]. Wealthy clients commissioned busts and figures of themselves. After establishing permanent exhibits in Philadelphia and New York, Wright opened a London studio. Letters of introduction from Ben Franklin helped to establish her success in England. While her efforts to persuade King George not to wage war on the colonies failed, her engaging nature helped her obtain information from members of Parliament and military officers.  “Patience led them into revealing secrets by offering wrong information, which they immediately corrected. She put the secrets inside hollow busts that she sent back home, revealing which colonists took bribes from the British, as well as details about enemy weapons and attacks.

The delicately rendered, gouache-and-pastel illustrations, covering full spreads, portray the artist, the early American landscape, period costumes, and life-sized, fully-dressed sculptures. The one of Franklin’s head looks alarmingly alive, as the coloring, facial expression, and the eyes are so real. Use this unique biography to enrich social-studies units on the Revolution and on women’s history. 

Kirkus Reviews: One of nine sisters and one brother born to a Quaker Family, Patience grew up in New Jersey and discovered her talent for sculpting figures early on. Widowed and with children to support, she moved in with another sister [Rachel Wells], gave up vegetarianism and began to work in wax made from animal fats. She and her sister had studios in New York and Philadelphia, and sculpted portrait heads and full figures of many notables. She moved to London in 1772 with a letter of introduction from Ben Franklin, sculpted everyone from William Pitt to the king and queen and was resourceful enough to put notes about what she learned about possible war tactics into the busts she shipped back home. Unfortunately, the only one of her [full-sized] waxworks to survive is the figure of Pitt, in his crypt at Westminster Abbey. Full of fascinating detail, the text is well-matched by lively gouache and pastel illustrations, vibrant with color and texture. While it is too dense for younger children, middle-graders will no doubt be fascinated.

San Diego Union-Tribune: Sitting down with this book provides an opportunity to discuss why we celebrate Women’s History Month in March. The story is about one of America’s first spies. Patience Wright was born in 1725 and raised a Quaker, who believed even then “women should have rights and education equal to men’s.” Unlike most girls of their time, Patience and her eight sisters learned to read and write. And Patience learned how to sculpt. Years later, when she was widowed, she turned to her art to support her children. She became so good that she was urged to open a shop in England. Patience jumped at the chance but took her loyalty to the Colonies with her. As she worked on wax busts of King George and his wife in the summer of 1773, she learned many secrets, which she wrote down and hid in busts she sent back to America to be sold. The story is full of intrigue and bravery, and young readers will learn much about American history, about determination and about one woman who did so much for her country. "

Awards for The Carpet Boy's Gift

Notable Book in the Social Studies" CBC/NCSS

THE CARPET BOY'S GIFT REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly: (Boxed review with cover photo.) "This picture book focuses attention on the plight of young carpet workers in Pakistan, while shedding light on the worldwide issue of child labor.... the author knowledgeably introduces Nadeem's quandary, outlining the obstacles he faces and the horrible conditions in the factories.... Inspired by Iqbal Masih [an escaped slave and child activist], Nadeem twice organizes fellow child workers to rise up against the unlawful bondage system."

School Library Journal: "This serious subject matter is handled with intelligence and care, giving young readers enough information to form their own opinions. Lovely, expressive watercolor illustrations, each bordered with a different design typical of woven rugs, perfectly complement the text. Four pages of additional information are appended."

Booklist: "...Shea doesn't shy away from ugly realities (coughing blood, cuts healed over with boiling oil).... Perhaps most useful for introducing the topic to groups older than the usual picture-book audience, this problematic yet thought-provoking picture book, with earth-toned watercolors... will leave children asking questions that have no easy answers."

Poetry books by or featuring works by Pegi Deitz Shea for young adults and adults