Oasis

March 1, 2025
As this graphic novel opens, JieJie and her younger brother, Didi, press their way through a windswept landscape toward an isolated telephone booth in the desert. It's their way of reaching their mother, who works at a factory in the "paradise" city of Oasis to make ends meet. The next time they try, on Didi's birthday, they don't get through; worried, they trek across a vast wasteland, without water and with only the clothes on their backs, toward Oasis. Along the way, they stumble upon the remnants of an abandoned, obsolete AI robot, which they activate to play the role of a mother. Before long, they develop a loving relationship with this artificial life form, but how will it compare with their real mother? The story unfolds cinematically, with carefully orchestrated images capturing evocative facial expressions in dynamic exchanges between characters seeking refuge and familial reconciliation. Softly shaded charcoal-esque panels (in pencil, toner powder, and digital editing) create a bleak, atmospheric mood, with occasional bursts of vibrant light. Themes of struggling for survival, preserving family connections, embracing humanity, and cultivating love resonate throughout this endearing tale of perseverance marked by hope against all odds. Jerry Dear

(Copyright 2025 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from February 1, 2025
Grades 3-7 *Starred Review* Inspired by rural China's "left-behind children," award-winning author-illustrator Guojing's poignant postapocalyptic tale follows young DiDi and his older sister determinedly scraping out a lonely existence in a metal hut set in a barren, sand-blown landscape. Navigating with optimism and tenderness, the devoted siblings regularly trek for water and phone calls to their mother, who's toiling far away to earn their admission to the city. One disheartening day, JieJie repairs a broken robot found in a junkyard. Reprogrammed, the AI evolves into a cherished surrogate mother, offering yearned-for food and comfort, as well as glimpses of beauty in a harsh world. When their worried mother defies factory rules to find her children, her angry confrontation leaves the AI incapacitated and DiDi and JieJie desolate. Subtle monochrome art in brilliantly paced, spare panels underscores the emotional depth of this compelling narrative. Textured backgrounds evoke the blurry grit of endless swirling sands, while soft pencil strokes outline the affectingly drawn characters, with merest touches of pale color added to highlight details. Guojing's characterization of the gradually more expressive AI mother is especially lovely; delicate shifts in the sculpted metal lines of the robot's face reveal an emerging humanity. Perfectly blending story and art, this deeply compelling fable assures middle-grade readers that, with resilience, adaptability, and the hope for connection, love can prevail even amid desolation.

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January 31, 2025

Gr 3-8-JieJie and her little brother DiDi are living alone in a barren desert while their mother works in Oasis City, hoping to earn a place to live within. The siblings fend for themselves by waiting out sandstorms, taking daily treks for water, and making food from survival packets. One day, after their mother doesn't respond to their daily phone calls, JieJie and DiDi wander into a junkyard where they find a torso of a robot. The children bring it home, repair and activate it. They program the robot to "Mother Mode," and the siblings have a parental figure living with them again; then the children's actual mother gets worried by the lack of communication and returns home unannounced. The use of darker and lighter shades for the color scheme matches the narrative tone presented throughout. Color is used sparingly to demonstrate heartfelt moments amongst the characters. Overall, this is a poignant illustrated story about the desire for a mother's love during a somber time. VERDICT Strongly recommend both for children and middle grade collections as a SEL resource as young readers learn that not all children live the same lives.-Lois Young

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