Awards

• Nominated for Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2026 (UK)

Overview

Will Paloma and her parents someday find their way back to home and family? A Chilean artist tells an emotionally resonant, beautifully illustrated immigration story through a child’s eyes. Paloma’s home has changed. The dictator who took over the country has stripped its people of their freedoms, and it’s no longer OK to think for yourself. So, like birds, Paloma and her parents fly away in search of a new home, without a chance to pack or say goodbye. The new country is different and generous, and their arrival is a big adventure. Though things are unfamiliar and Paloma misses the country she left, her new friends are soon like family, and she feels right at home. Then she grows older, and more changes come, and Paloma and family are flying away again, to a country she can barely remember . . . With a simple narration and stunning illustrations, María J. Guarda brings us a tender story about home, family, and identity during times of immeasurable change.

Full Product Details

9781529538458

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Author Information

María J. Guarda is an award-winning Chilean illustrator and graphic designer. She studied graphic design at the Universidad Católica de Chile, earned an MA in illustration from Camberwell College of Arts at the University of the Arts London and an MA in children’s book illustration from Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University. She was the recipient of the 2018 Macmillan Prize for Illustration for her then work in progress, Paloma Volo (Paloma Flew) – now Paloma Flies Away. María J. Guarda lives in Santiago, where she teaches illustration. Find her on Instagram as @mjguarda_ilus. María J. Guarda is an award-winning Chilean illustrator and graphic designer. She studied graphic design at the Universidad Católica de Chile, earned an MA in illustration from Camberwell College of Arts at the University of the Arts London and an MA in children’s book illustration from Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University. She was the recipient of the 2018 Macmillan Prize for Illustration for her then work in progress, Paloma Volo (Paloma Flew) – now Paloma Flies Away. María J. Guarda lives in Santiago, where she teaches illustration. Find her on Instagram as @mjguarda_ilus.

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