"Hope and Freckles" by Bill Kiley is a book that paralleled deer escaping coyotes/dangerous forest to what is going on at the US/Mexico border. I am not sure who the intended audience is for this book. Perhaps it is meant to be used as a conversation piece, but my 10 year old is not familiar with the terms used in this book - refugee, asylum.

My daughter and I read this story together. We both absolutely loved the illustrations, but the first thing she said to me when Hope and Freckles got to the Big Pine Forest was deer can talk? That was a bit unrealistic and perhaps younger children wouldn't notice, but she did. The message around compassion is an excellent one though and if she picked up on anything from this book it was definitely that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mascot Books for this dARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beautifully illustrated and with an important message, this book just slightly missed the mark for me.

Whilst the overall metaphor of the book was blatantly clear, some of the narrative was a little confusing for me. I acknowledge that I am not the intended audience for this book so it could be that a younger reader has an easier time with this however it could also go the other way and soar over their heads.

I would recommend giving this book a try - especially as it is telling the story that many refugees face - it just wasn't for me.

I love children’s books and especially any that have to do with animals. I thought this was a great read and the illustrations were beautifully done.

Would definitely recommend it.

"Hope and Freckles" by Bill Kiley is a story about the refugee experience told through the eyes of a doe and her baby fawn. Hope and Freckles (the deer) find that their home forest has become dangerous and they flee to find a safer place to live. They arrive at their new home to find it gated and guarded by people who won't let them in. Will they be able to enter and live in safety? Will they have to return to their previous home with all of the existing dangers?

This book took us by surprise. We didn't know much about the story before picking it up, so as an adult reading it I was a little nervous about where the story would go. I found myself wishing I had pre-read the book solo before deciding to read it aloud to my kids. However, the book does explain the immigrant experience without outlining any situations that may potentially scare young readers. I do believe it is important to discuss these concepts with children, but the book may be better suited for slightly older kids. If you have young ones, you may want to read through the book first and plan out how you will discuss the book. There is a great section in the back with key terms and definitions that can assist adults with the post book dialogue process. Also to note- the illustrations are great. Our little ones loved the deer and thought they were extremely cute. I think the fact that the story utilized adorable woodland creatures to tell the story makes it more adapted to the younger audience.

Wow. This story really hits deep. It's brilliantly written. Hope & Freckles is a story of two deer immigrating to a safer land. It parallels the lives of so many people coming to the US. It's heartbreaking as an adult to read this because I get how it relates to our world. However, I still believe this tool is a great way to teach children compassion.