There’s a lot in the news at the moment about refugees and plenty of politicians queuing up to give their opinions but what do you think and how can you be informed?
Fiction can often give us an emotional insight into the lives of others and I suggest taking a look at the following three books.
The Journey by Francesca Sanna,
The Island by Armin Greder,
and
Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird.
The first two books are heavily illustrated using very different styles.
The Journey uses a broad strong palette and unpretentious yet thought provoking images- the symbolism of the animals and the simple language “ We don’t want to leave but our mother tells us it will be a great adventure”. Indeed, on first reading one might think this is a picture book for younger readers ( which of course with guidance it certainly can be used this way) but on completion you realise that the story is not one of a single family but of many families in the most dire of circumstances.
The Island by Armin Greder is grey, very grey – no bright animals or pretty landscapes here; just people and an island and a stranger.
How do we treat those who seek our help and what do our reactions say about us? The Island was my book on the desk for a week and lots of pupils picked it up and commented – many felt moved by the images and the word “powerful” was used time and again in their reviews”.
A longer read is Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird, an author who time and time again picks social issues that we need to know about as the focus of her fiction.
Imagine being 12 and living in Syria when the bombs start to drop. You aren’t political, you didn’t start this but it’s you caught in the middle and it’s your life in danger. The simple sub heading of the novel says it all – “Where do you go if you can’t go home?”
Why not pop in to the library and pick up a copy of any of these titles and let me know what you think.
If you have an idea for a theme you would like explored through fiction or you would like to add your own comments or ideas just let me know,
Mrs B
