The Arrival (3 points)

 When I first opened the book I was not expecting it to be solely imaged. The first pages of pages, an introduction to the characters of the story I believe, felt more personal as I looked at them. Each portrait held its own emotions and stories without needing words. Each character, I could tell, will have a crucial part to the story. 

As I kept reading I felt eerie. The illustrations have an overall grey-ish tone. The attention to detail of each one kept me engaged. The first chapter I interpreted as a goodbye, where the family is accompanying the father to wherever he will be departing from. Their surroundings were almost surreal and a mystery to me, the shadows of what looked like a giant serpent left me intrigued. 

Overall, the story kept me engaged as I tried to figure out the purpose of the father leaving his family. He arrived in this place where life seemed better. He stayed and learned the ways of life and the customs of the people. He found friends who helped him get settled and used to the lifestyle. He found work to put food on the table, eventually saving enough money for his wife and little girl to come to him. The end comes full circle as the family gets settled in this better life, eventually helping newcomers that are facing the same things they did. This story hit close to home; being an immigrant myself, my family and I moved away to find a better life. 

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