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Table of Contents
About The Book
Three starred reviews!
Based on the true story of the author’s great-grandmother, this “affectingly gentle” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book about surviving the Armenian Genocide sparkles with hope and heart even amid unspeakable tragedy—perfect for readers of The Proudest Blue and Yuyi Morales’s Dreamers.
Rose is what my parents call me:
Dzovinar, their rose by the sea.
Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”) lives with her family in Armenia, where the hillside is dotted with sheep and the apricot trees bloom every spring. She loves her home—but one day, soldiers storm her village, and she returns to an empty house.
Their parents gone, Dzovinar and her sister are forced to flee. Afraid and alone, they journey across the desert, then over the ocean: first to France and then to America, where they hope a new future will bloom. Changed but not lost, Dzovinar takes root in a new land…forever a rose by the sea.
Based on the true story of the author’s great-grandmother, this “affectingly gentle” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) picture book about surviving the Armenian Genocide sparkles with hope and heart even amid unspeakable tragedy—perfect for readers of The Proudest Blue and Yuyi Morales’s Dreamers.
Rose is what my parents call me:
Dzovinar, their rose by the sea.
Dzovinar (“zill-ven-ar”) lives with her family in Armenia, where the hillside is dotted with sheep and the apricot trees bloom every spring. She loves her home—but one day, soldiers storm her village, and she returns to an empty house.
Their parents gone, Dzovinar and her sister are forced to flee. Afraid and alone, they journey across the desert, then over the ocean: first to France and then to America, where they hope a new future will bloom. Changed but not lost, Dzovinar takes root in a new land…forever a rose by the sea.
About The Author
Photography by Chris Moody
Rebecca Rose Mooradian lives in a woodland garden in the heart of Nashville. When she’s not innkeeping, chasing her babies, or gardening, she’s writing words and music about how much she loves the world. Rose by the Sea is her debut picture book.
About The Illustrator
Photography by Sem Han
Myo Yim made her debut as a children’s illustrator in South Korea with In the Forest of Night and has since published picture books abroad, including Rajah Street, Wilder Child, and Rose by the Sea. Her work has also been featured in popular non-English magazines such as Cosmopolitan Korea and NYLON Korea. Originally from Seoul, she now lives with her husband and two boys in Byron Bay, Australia. Visit her online at MyoYim.com.
Why We Love It
“Rebecca Rose Mooradian’s text is a triumph, showing little readers how to hold big feelings of loss and grief while still making room for light and life. And Myo Yim’s expressive watercolors bring Dzovinar’s journey to life in breathtaking, historically accurate detail. This picture book is a beautiful tribute to the resilience and strength of the Armenian people—and of immigrants and refugees everywhere.”
—Feather F., Editor, on Rose by the Sea
Product Details
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (February 26, 2026)
- Length: 48 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665944137
- Ages: 4 - 8
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Raves and Reviews
★ "The lyrical prose and stunning illustrations evoke displacement, fear, and uncertainty while also channeling courage and hope. . . . The detailed artwork deepens the emotional resonance of the text with a powerful use of color and artfully integrated motifs and remembrances that echo from scene to scene, creating a powerful story that gently invites conversation and reflection.”
– Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
★ “A beautifully illustrated and emotionally rich picture book about the impact of the Armenian Genocide that introduces this difficult chapter of history through the eyes of a child, Dzovinar . . . Mooradian and Yim have created a powerful book to share with care. It opens space for conversations about resilience, identity, and remembrance, and it shows how storytelling helps us honor the past while finding beauty in survival.”
– School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
★ "An affectingly gentle immigration story set against a pitiless backdrop.”
– Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Based, per an author’s note, on the childhood events of Mooradian’s great-grandmother, this first-person story connects arrayed hues to a youth’s flight during the Armenian genocide. . . . Establishing a new residence, the sisters paint the walls in colorful hues that remind them of loved ones and home, contributing to a vibrant, layered collage of the duo’s experiences.”
– Publishers Weekly
Awards and Honors
- Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Rose by the Sea
Hardcover 9781665944137
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Author Photo (jpg): Rebecca Rose Mooradian Photography by Chris Moody(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit
