My Name is Not Refugee: 1

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The day is dedicated to helping raise awareness and build a greater understanding of the situations which affect humans all over the world.

If you don’t do something to counter the depiction of refugees as a zombie army trying to suck all the resources from our country then you appear to agree with it.I think this book was beautifully written and illustrated however I think it made my daughter feel ‘funny in her tummy’ because it made her aware of the plight of children less fortunate than herself and therefore I think that in the long term this will be beneficial. And those refugee children, who are so much more open to change and are capable of adapting to new environments more readily than adults and experience things differently, to see them through Milner's words, it's truly moving. The word and pictures work cohesively together, with the pictures being the main focus of the story; the words add to this by giving it context, with the pictures telling the true story. The story gives children a view into what life is like for a refugee, but also empowers refugee children, encouraging them to not be defined by by their status. Ask the children what they would take if they had to leave their homes quickly, with little warning and could only take what they could fit in this backpack.

This straight forward picture book explains the decisions that people have to make and then prompts a thought provoking question. There are several books on refugees, but this book is perfect for the younger reader, shedding light on a horrific situation and the human reality of dealing with it. The boy may be a refugee but it is important to show children that they are not defined by their experiences and everyone is equal. The illustrations are excellent and promote a lot of talk - personally, I would not have had the questions but I can see how they would prompt discussion where it may not have happened before.Is she exposing the realities of refugees and escaping from a war or persecution etc or is she just telling someone else’s story. This is a simple story with clear illustrations that help you imagine some of the things that refugees have to go through.

I also helped with Chatterbooks and the Summer Reading Challenge, both of which involved talking to children about books. A young boy and his mother talk about the journey they are about to take because their homeland is no longer safe for them. I asked myself if there was anything I could do and by the end of the journey the book was clear in my head. There are two different puzzles in this file to enable you to differentiate the activity according to the learning needs of your students. It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything.

Especially in today’s climate, we should be projecting and presenting true, full stories to the impressionable minds of children rather than simplifying and almost trivialising the refugee crisis into a sort of holiday trip away? Since asylum can be a confusing issue for children (and even adults), here are some books that explore what it really means to flee your home and have to start your life over.

We wondered why picture books contain lots of farm yard animals but no mobile phones, yet most children know all about mobile phones and have never met a lamb. A Piece of Passion from Mairi Kidd, MD of Barrington Stoke: “It's always inspiring to visit the Anglia Ruskin CSA stand at Bologna and this year especially so - My Name is Not Refugee drew me back again and again. I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! In fact the accommodation they get offered is often fairly basic and many of them were relatively well off before the war and have had to leave nice homes behind.

The main themes in this book are attachment, loss, journeys but also new beginning and relationships.