A Gift for Sadia

Sadia and her family are refugees from Somalia, who have come to Rochester, Minnesota, arriving in the winter. Sadia is placed in an ESL class at her school to she can learn English. Sadia's home is across the street from Silver Lake where Canadian geese spend the winter. She befriends and feeds a goose with an injured wing. When spring arrives, at school one day, Sadia is asked to recite the alphabet. She gets stuck on the letter that follows 'U' At that moment a flock of geese fly by, led by her goose. Oh yes, 'V', and the rest that follow..... What a wonderful gift! Written and illustrated by Marie Fritz Perry, who has served as an artist in residence in Minnesota schools, this is the story of a child she encountered in Rochester. It could be used as a discussion starter to help American children understand what it is like to be an ESL student.