Rose by the Sea by Rebecca Rose Mooradian

Rose by the Sea

An Armenian Journey of Courage and Hope

Rebecca Rose Mooradian

Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Print & ebook · March 3, 2026

Two starred reviews!

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Who it’s for
Dzovinar and her sister flee Armenia, cross a desert and ocean, and begin again.
Themes
Hope amid tragedy, Family separation, Migration and starting over
Genres
Immigration & Moving, Historical Europe, Historical Middle East

About this book

Two 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.

Continue reading

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.

Dzovinar’s Journey

Dzovinar and her sister flee Armenia, cross a desert and ocean, and begin again.

Come here for

  • Dzovinar’s childhood home in Armenia and her family’s apricot trees
  • Her journey from Armenia to France, then America

Expect

  • A picture book based on the author’s great-grandmother’s true story
  • A story of family separation and migration after the Armenian Genocide

Where it sits

Immigration & Moving68%
Historical Middle East28%
Historical Europe18%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Historical Middle East
  • Stories Set in the Middle East
  • Immigration & Moving
Authors
Rebecca Rose Mooradian
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published
March 3, 2026
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Hope amid tragedy · Family separation · Migration and starting over
Reading lane
Historical Middle East