• Age: 5 to 9
• Grade: k to 3
• Reading age: 8 to 9

In Ethiopia, Yuvi dreams of a land where water flows, bread is plentiful, and candy grows on trees. But it is only after a difficult journey that she arrives in Israel, where it appears that her dreams have come true.

Lesley Simpson is a Canadian journalist and picture book writer. Her previous books include The Shabbat Box and The Purim Surprise. Lesley has taught journalism and creative writing at Canadian universities. She lives in Toronto, Canada.

Lesley Simpson's profile page

Janice Lee Porter was born and raised in Chicago. She has a BFA in painting from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MFA from California State University, Chico. She is the illustrator of over two dozen children's books and is an art faculty member at Shasta College in Redding, California, where she teaches painting and drawing. She lives in Chico, California.

Janice Lee Porter's profile page

• Winner, Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
• Winner, Be'chol Lashon Media Award
• Nominated, Canadian Jewish Book Award - Koffler Arts

"Five-year-old Yuvi narrates her tense exodus from Ethiopia to Israel in this story based on the real-life journey made by Yuvi Tashome, who was among thousands of Ethiopian Jews relocated, secretly at first, to Israel during the 1980s and '90s as part of Operations Moses and Solomon. Simpson (The Purim Surprise) and Porter (Blackberry Stew) convey the hardships faced by Yuvi, her relatives, and the other refugees (they are robbed three times), while providing reassurance in the form of references to the group's unshakable faith in their escape, and swooping, tableau-like paintings rendered in a comforting palette of desert yellows and cool blues. 'We have angels with us. We'll fly home,' Yuvi's grandmother repeatedly tells her. The eponymous candy tree represents the confidence instilled in Yuvi that a better life awaits (she comes to believe that the orange trees that line the road in Israel are indeed the candy trees she has dreamed of). Though neither the story nor the author's note explicitly state why the refugees are fleeing Ethiopia (mostly famine), readers should finish the book with a strong sense of their strength, faith, and determination." --Publishers Weekly

Journal

"This beautiful story is based on the true account of a young Jewish girl, Yuvi Tashome, who escaped Ethiopia to live in Israel.
Yuvi is only five years old when she travels with family members to escape a harsh life in Ethiopia and meet up pwith her mother and younger brother in Jerusalem. During daylight hours they hide under trees, and sleep and travel in the dark of night.
Yuvi encounters many difficulties on her long journey to the Promised Land. They are robbed several times, there is little food, and the weather is unpredictable. However Yuvi dreams of a better life in Israel, where she believes there are candy trees. Her dream comes true when she arrives in Israel and is given a hand-picked orange from a grove. She rejoices as she realizes she has found her candy trees!
The bright and beautiful illustrations help depict this true story, designed for children aged 5 to 9. Readers young and old will be moved by this endearing tale." --The Jewish Journal

Magazine

"The hardship many Ethiopian Jews faced to successfully reach Israel is recounted in the voice of a 5-year-old girl who escapes with her grandmother, determined to reach their destination. Yuvi's trip begins on a donkey at night with her grandmother's strong religious conviction that angels will help them join mother and baby brother in their real home. 'We are going to Jerusalem. We have angels with us. We'll fly home.' The long, arduous and dangerous journey is made bearable through role-playing familiar family Shabbat rituals. Several encounters with robbers take almost all their money, except for the small amount Yuvi cleverly hides within her hair curls. Starved and parched from the endless days and nights of traveling, mostly on foot, Grandmother's new promise of unlimited candy, clothes, games and bread is a wonder to Yuvi. Finally when they reach Jerusalem aboard a big plane, Yuvi sees her first orange tree and learns that after picking and eating one, so juicy and sweet, another will grow back—the candy tree she imagined. Large, mostly double-page paintings in soft yellow, tan and blue hues on a textured canvas reflect the intrigue, emotion and difficulty of the journey. Uncomplicated language expressed in a direct and honest voice plus vibrant illustrations make Israel's Operation Moses easily accessible for early-elementary children." --Kirkus Reviews

Journal