Brian Bilston: Refugees, illustrated by Jose Sanabria

Refugee is a book of two voices. The first one sees the people fleeing from war and persecution and asks, 'Why here? Why my country?' It is a voice of fear and suspicion. But when, in the last line, the poet asks you the read the poem again, backwards, a new voice emerges. It says, 'Why not make them welcome? Why not share the things we have?'

This poem shows both sides with skill and the illustrations depict the issue in a magic realism style. Powerful but never frightening, this book will promote a deeper discussion on this topic with a child.

If you would like to read more about our favourite poems for children please see our blog.

Format: Hardback