This week I have continued the theme
of exposing children to complex themes on the journey towards understanding
‘big ideas and complex thoughts’ (Text, pp. 489
& 494).
David Miller’s book, Refugees, may be viewed on multiple levels. The first is concerning the destruction of
habitat and the consequences for the animals therein. The second views the story as a metaphor for
refugees, and the dangers faced in their attempts to seek safety in a new land.
I particularly like the paper-sculpture that is used to illustrate the story,
in addition to the way the images pre-empt the text (e.g. surveyor’s equipment
in the image when the idyllic environment is being described in the exposition,
and the numberplate ‘RESCUE 1’ on the truck that carried them away in the
climax to the story).
John Heffernan and Andrew McLean’s My Dog uses first-person narrative to emotively
tell Alija’s story: That of a young displaced
boy in Eastern Europe, with powerful themes of ‘home’, ‘belonging’, ‘injustice’,
‘war’ and ‘hope’. The watercolour
illustrations add richness to the storyline, especially through the depiction
of pain and suffering … hopelessness and hope.
Post
Script:
Other life-enriching picture-books I’ve
read connected to this theme include:
Liz Lofthouse, Ziba Came on a Boat
Mary Hoffman, The Colour of Home
John Marsden and Matt Ottley, Home and Away
Aliki Brandenberg, Painted Words and Spoken Memories
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