The Solution: Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar

WHEN I FIRST CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, I FELT SO ALONE.

An immigrant girl waits for her parents to join her, lonely and homesick for her family, friends, and her two cats, all her old familiar life. Her aunt understands and invites her to take a walk with her outside. The girl walks silently in a place that seems strange. But her aunt sits down and tells her an old, old story:

It seems that once there were a group of people who were forced to leave their ancient land. They sailed the sea until they found a shore where they were met with a king. The king felt he had plenty of people to rule over already, with no need for these strangers. They cannot understand each other's language, so to show the strange people why they were not wanted, he filled a cup to its brim with milk, so full that one more drop would overflow it. But the refugee people had a wise leader, who smiled and pulled out a little bag and from it put one small spoonful of sugar into the cup of milk, stirring it with great care until it dissolved completely. The cup was no fuller, but sweeter.

BETWEEN TWO WISE PEOPLE, SOMETIMES WORDS ARE NOT NECESSARY.

And the girl understands what her aunt's story means for her. And she smiles at the next person who passes, who returns her smile happily.

NOTHING HAD CHANGED, AND YET EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED.

In Thrity Umrigar's frame story, a story within a story, Sugar in Milk (Running Press, 2020), an old parable finds a new meaning to someone who is in a new and unfamiliar place, and in the walk back home, the girl finds bright smiles, cheery hellos, friendly dogs, and hope for a sweet beginning in her new home. There's a larger life lesson in Umrigar's  lovely prose, told visually and elegantly by illustrator Khoa Le. Says Horn Book's reviewer, "This story of new beginnings, lushly illustrated, celebrates the threads of kindness and humanity that bind us together."