Four Feet, Two Sandals

When relief workers bring used clothing to the refugee camp, everyone scrambles to grab whatever they can.  Ten-year-old Lina is thrilled when she finds a sandal that fits her foot perfectly, until she sees that another girl has the matching shoe.  But soon Lina and Feroza meet, each wearing one coveted sandal.  Together they solve the problem of having four feet and two sandals.

Illustrated by Doug Chayka with warm colors and sensitive brush strokes this book portrays the strength, courage and hope of refugees around the world.  The illustrations are evocative of life in the desert.

I was inspired to write this book when Khadra Mohammed came to me with the story about a refugee girl in the United States who wanted to know why there were no books about children like her. I began volunteering with refugees in Pittsburgh so that I could get to know there stories and this began a lasting friendship with Khadra Mohammed. I do not usually agree to write stories with other people but it was immediately apparent to me that Khadra was a natural story-teller and she was as passionate about children and other cultures as I am. We are true kindred spirits. Khadra understood and told me from the beginning that she has the stories but I am the writer. We work well together and if I tell her that a story is not working in the written form she will immediately give me several ideas about ways we can change it. Four Feet Two Sandals grew out of Khadra’s vision of the story and her profound understanding of the refugee experience as well as my own experience with children in the third world and my understanding of the craft of writing for children.