Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers

by Uma Mishra-Newbery and Lina Al-Hathloul
illustrated by Rebecca Green

A courageous girl follows her dream of learning to fly in this ”clever narrative” filled with “extraordinary spirit… gorgeous colors… a magical quality” (New York Times). Inspired by formerly imprisoned human rights activist Loujain AlHathloul, this sparkling fantasy story is perfect for fans of Malala’s Magic Pencil and the Rebel Girls series.

Loujain watches her beloved baba attach his feather wings and fly each morning, but her own dreams of flying face a big obstacle: only boys, not girls, are allowed to fly in her country. Yet despite the taunts of her classmates, she is determined to do it—especially because Loujain loves colors, and only by flying can she see the color-filled field of sunflowers her baba has told her about. Eventually, he agrees to teach her, and Loujain’s impossible dream becomes reality—and soon other girls dare to learn to fly.

Based on the experiences of co-author Lina AlHathloul’s sister, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Loujain AlHathloul, who led the successful campaign to lift Saudi Arabia’s ban on women driving, this moving and gorgeously illustrated story reminds us to strive for the changes we want to see—and to never take for granted women’s and girls’ freedoms.

Ages 4-8
Hardcover | 40 pages | minedition | 2022

Uma Mishra-Newbery is a global social justice and women’s rights leader, transformative speaker, former Executive Director of Women’s March Global, and the initiator and facilitator for the Racial Equity Index. As a facilitator for the Racial Equity Index, Uma is working within a BIPOC led and formed global anti-racist collective to help build the first-ever index for racial equity in global development. Her transparent, visionary yet grounded leadership at Women’s March Global was instrumental in furthering the mobilisation and assembly of women globally around women’s rights issues with Women’s March Global.

Uma has organised and built coalitions around the issues of women’s human rights defenders, freedom of association and assembly, bodily autonomy, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial equity and justice, and white supremacy in the women’s rights and funding space. As a leader in the global women’s rights movement Uma has been interviewed by CNN, AlJazeera, Jane Dutton, Newsweek, Devex and published by Ms. Magazine, TIME, and IPS.

Uma helped to bring Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain AlHathloul’s story to the United Nations and was instrumental in coordinating efforts for Lina AlHathloul’s first statement in support of Loujain at the United Nations Human Rights Council.