Yuvi is a young Ethiopian Jewish girl whose family is leaving their native land for Israel. They are robbed several times during their journey to a refugee camp until Yuvi thinks to hide their money in her curls. Despite her worries, Yuvi dreams of Jerusalem, their ultimate destination, where there will be food and clothes, games and “candy.” Once they arrive at a refugee camp, they board a plane for Jerusalem, where Yuvi sees orange trees—the “candy” she has been dreaming about during her journey. Lesley Simpson uses child-centered details to make this short, first-person narrative accessible and intriguing to children. An author’s note provides context for this fictional story based on the experiences of an Ethiopian Jew the author met who was airlifted to Israel as part of Operation Moses, “one of several Israeli rescue operations of Ethiopian Jews in the 1980s and 1990s.” (Ages 5–8)

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.