Joshua is from the U.S. but he lives in Ghana. His second best friend (after his dad) is his pet parrot named Johnny . But to his dismay, he has to leave Johnny behind when he and his dad move to Korea to be with his mom.
When he arrives in Korea, everything is very different. Joshua notices that everyone in Korea is staring at him and his parents! Most Koreans haven’t seen someone his color before and they want to touch his hair and take pictures with him. His mom keeps politely telling people not to touch him but Joshua feels like a star! Everyone wants to talk to him.
At the end of the story, Joshua confides in his parents that he still misses his parrot Johnny. They encourage him to take his soccer ball and meet new friends, which he does. He even meets a beautiful Korean crane who he asks to be his new best friend.
Besides covering themes of moving to a new country and settling in, this fantastic little picture book addresses the difficulty of having to leave much-loved pets behind. And it stands out among TCK children’s books because it features an African-American family, and one that moves because of the mom’s job.
Reading level: age 4-8