Ten of the Best Books about Refugees


With the media coverage as ubiquitous as it is, it would be hard for any child to escape some awareness of the refugee crisis. Having books to interpret the often misleading and dehumanizing media narrative seems essential to answer questions, foster compassion and combat prejudicial attitudes. Here are Fen Coles of Letterbox Library’s recommendations of the best ten books about refugees, listed in ascending reader age order.


10 Ice in the Jungle


Ariane Hofmann-Maniyar, Child’s Play Books, 32pp, 978- 1-8464-3730-4, £5.99 pbk


Ice and his mum need to move countries for mum’s new job. In their new home, Ice is unnerved by the sizzling climate, the funny language,


the strange-looking


people and their weird foods, especially those funny bananas! While not explicitly about refugees, this book deals very simply and directly with some of the feelings associated with migration and does so in a deceptively simple way. Perfectly pitched for very young children.


My Friend Jamal Anna McQuinn and Ben Fray, Alanna Books, 978-0955199813 £11.99 hdbk


Jamal and Joseph were born in the same UK hospital and they are inseparable. It is only when you reach the middle of this book that you discover Jamal’s parents are refugees from the civil war in Somalia. Either side of this we witness a delightful celebration of friendship. The narrative carries a simple message about commonality across difference but does so with a charming authenticity and originality. The contemporary, brightly- hued, multi-media collages work


brilliantly to conjure up a recognisable landscape of multicultural Britain.


The Silence Seeker Ben Morley, illus Carl Pearce, Tamarind Books, 32pp, 978-1848530034 £7.99 pbk


Mum explains to Joe that the new family next door are asylum seekers. ‘A Silence Seeker!’ says Joe. And so begins the story of an endearing child who sets out to find silence for his new friend. This understated book uses accessible text and stark, manga-style artwork to communicate complex ideas. Morley, a former teacher, said he wrote it to give children in his class, many of whom had first-hand experience of immigration and asylum, something they could relate to. Refreshing for having the ‘indigenous’ character as Black and the new arrival as White.


10 Books for Keeps No.221 November 2016 Here I Am


Patti Kim; ill. Sonia Sánchez, Curious Fox, 40pp, 978-1-7820-2226-8, £6.99 pbk


A wordless picture book shows a child and his family moving to an unspecified country, for reasons we never learn, and captures some of the real challenges faced


by people


settling in a new country. A messy subway map over-lays other pictures, suggesting the difficulties of navigating a strange city. Unbearably loud and unfamiliar sounds are evoked as images zoom in on beeping car horns and people’s gaping mouths. Baffling language is highlighted through nonsensical lettering and reversed wordings on signage. The protagonist’s ultimate triumph over all this chaos and uncertainty is captured in the final statement which is both an acquiring of language and a new identity: ‘Here I Am’. Perfect visual literacy for a broad range of readers.


Azzi in Between


Sarah Garland, Frances Lincoln, 40pp, 978-1-8478-0651-2, £7.99 pbk


This is another vibrant new work A picture book for ‘older’ readers (7+), detailing a family’s escape from a country at war and their adjustment to life in a new country (which might easily be the UK), it’s based on the author’s experiences among


refugee families


endorsed by Amnesty. shades


of and


text and images work in perfect synchronicity;


Here, grey


sketch out moments of despair and hardship during the family’s perilous flight; a bright, multi- coloured palette takes over as asylum becomes imaginable. The graphic format lend this story a freshness and immediacy perfect for prompting empathy and which will attract a wide range of reading ages. Winner of the inaugural Little Rebels Award for Radical Children’s Fiction 2013


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