At the Welcome Center in Vancouver, Salma and her mother adjust to their new life as they await the arrival of Salma's father. Salma notices a persistent sadness in her mom, who used to laugh with her friends in the refugee camp. Attempts to elicit laughter from Mama with a funny drawing and a joke do not work, so Salma turns to Nancy, a helper at the Center, who suggests Salma draw a memory of a time when Mama was happy. With a handful of colorful Crayons, Salma sketches a scene: her family in their home in Damascus enjoying a meal of foul shami. That's when it hits her. Surely the taste of Syrian food will cheer Mama up! With assistance from others, Salma prints out a recipe, shops for ingredients, and begins to cook. She runs into a few frustrating snags along the way, but with the generous help of her neighbors, the dish is a success-and Mama is delighted. Illustrations rich with cultural details and Syrian geometric design accompany this story of a creative and determined young immigrant and her supportive, diverse community. (Ages 4-8)