The Journey: 0

Beautiful exploration of difficult topic. Was given as a gift and parents said they were happy to have it as a tool to talk to their children about this topic.

Beautiful illustrations.

Absolutely beautiful book based on a family and the circumstances they find themselves in that leads to loss and migration. I used this in a lesson observation and both the children and the adults observing loved it.

This beautifully illustrated book is based on the stories of real people who had to leave their homes to find safety in other countries. The story is told by a young child. Their country has been affected by war. After their father is killed, the family are frightened. They have to make a very difficult decision. The child’s mother has to take the family to live in a safer place so they pack up all their things, say goodbye to their friends and begin the long journey. This book is useful for introducing young readers to the concept of refugees and why they have been forced to leave their homes. The author’s illustrations show the fear and danger that refugees face without showing more realistic scenes which could be too scary for little children. Just like the migrating birds that Francesca Sanna has drawn, the family have had to leave the harsh conditions at home so that they can survive. I like the colourful illustrations of birds and animals which show the hope that the family have as they search for a safe place and a new life.

This book is incredibly powerful. I bought it for my 6 year old son as I was looking for some ideas to explain to him why I don’t like war games (all the rage with 6 year old boys I know.. I didn’t want to ruin the fun but I did think it was a good time to explain my point of view without judgment). It was a lot more dark and upsetting than I anticipated and had I read it without him first I probably would have chosen to leave it a few years. As things turned out he had out of the amazon box and ready to read before I knew it, so we did. I cried! And felt angry about the refugee crisis. He was totally able for it and I could see the empathy and understanding in his eyes, as well as reasoning and with that the desire to discuss possible solutions, even if we couldn’t change of fix anything. A much more emotionally mature reaction than mine! Sometimes we really do underestimate children! This book is beautifully written and illustrated. And it has also now inspired a friend of mine’s research topic in her Children’s Rights Masters!

This book takes a tough subject and deals with it within a very smart book full of beautiful illustrations - it doesn't sugar coat this issue and has an important place in sharing with children either in schools or in the home to raise awareness.

This book is a very thoughtful and insightful book that is an excellent book to read to your class. It's illustrations are interesting and the story creates lots of discussion.

I chose this book for world book Day as I wanted to teach the children about the journeys of refugees. They were booked start to finish and it was real eye opener for many! Great book with great illustrations.