The Journey

By Author / Illustrator

Sanna Francesca

Genre

Representation & Inclusion

Age range(s)

Publisher

Flying Eye Books

ISBN

9781909263994

Format

Hardback

Published

01-04-2016

Synopsis

With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape the turmoil and tragedy brought by war. This book will stay with you long after the last page is turned.

From the author: The Journey is actually a story about many journeys, and it began with the story of two girls I met in a refugee centre in Italy. After meeting them I realized that behind their journey lay something very powerful. So I began collecting more stories of migration and interviewing many people from many different countries. A few months later, in September 2014, when I started studying a Master of Arts in Illustration at the Academy of Lucerne, I knew I wanted to create a book about these true stories. Almost every day on the news we hear the terms "migrants" and "refugees" but we rarely ever speak to or hear the personal journeys that they have had to take. This book is a collage of all those personal stories and the incredible strength of the people within them.

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Reviews

A family are forced to leave everything they know as the situation in their homeland becomes more and more dangerous. Told through the eyes of a young child, the book follows the family in their search for safety.

The Journey is a powerful story, told simply and without sensationalism. The horror of loss and war is felt all the more keenly by the sparse text and powerful use of colour. Sinister shadows reach towards the family like threatening hands until the mother decides she and her children must leave.

The pictures show what the text does not - the pet they must leave behind, the difficulties of the journey they must make - until they reach the huge wall of the border. Once again, the illustrations offer a haunting glimpse of the fear and powerlessness felt by the family, but also of their love for each other. After all their trials, however, the story does end with a note of hope. Looking up, the child notices birds migrating overhead and hopes that, like the birds, they will find a new home where they can be safe and begin their story again.

The story carefully encompasses the plight of many without specifying locations, allowing empathy with any and all situations. Beautifully told with evocative pictures, this is a story that should be shared with everyone. Simply stunning!

Picture book / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher.