Simone was a beautiful book about a mother and daughter that are forced to flee a wildfire. I appreciated the author recognizing the role that incarcerated people play in being firefighters, as well as the need for diversity in the profession. I thought it was a tense book at first, but then brought calm with the children drawing and the mother being strong. The author packed a lot in a few pages, referencing the mother's childhood flood in Vietnam. I liked the use of black and white and then color to show creativity and fear dissipating.

A heartwarming and touching story about a Vietnamese girl whose life is changed when she experiences a wildfire. Simone is awakened by her mother and rushed out when a wildfire threatens her home. She experiences things she's never experienced and learns about her mother's life as a little girl in Vietnam who was forced to evacuate during a flood. This was truly such a sweet and beautiful story, and I absolutely adored it. It's got stunning art inside and the story itself is wonderful.

*Thanks Netgalley and Astra Books for Young Readers, Minerva for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*