This heart wrenching picture book about refugees follows the perseverance of a mother and daughter trying to find a safe place to sleep in a dark and gray, war-ravaged city. As they try to comfort each other, the mother tells her daughter the tale of a large protective bird that will spread its wings and keep them from harm as they rest. Heavy, ominous pictures reflect the displacement and destroyed surroundings of homes with no doors, walls or roofs. The enormous bird reminds the frightened girl of wonderful sights from her past. Slowly her colorful memories come back to her and are brought to life giving her hope. The morning finds a rainbow in the sky and the girl and her mother are on the move to somewhere, anywhere, determined to stay together.

Author lives in Norway.

Norwegian. Originally published in Norway as Fargene som forsvant by Vigmostad & Bjorke in 2017. English translation by Kari Dickson published in the United States by Eerdmans Books in 2019.