Disclaimer: Prepare to be emotionally hit by this book! It's a powerful story that will stay with you. Which makes it all the more important to read it. I've struggled to finish this review which I've been working on for a few weeks as I just have had so many thoughts on this book.
The magic power of stories to change events is a recurrent theme in the book which adds to the story.
This book is inspired by true stories of the refugee crisis by the incredible Francesca Sanna. She is a first time author illustrator. I can't believe it, as the artwork, story and message are so powerful and it is so well executed. What an achievement! It has been out for sometime but I only came across it a few weeks ago. I was going to read it at our local library but luckily, when I returned to my school library job after maternity leave, I found it on a shelf, waiting for me.
The Journey is picture book storytelling at it's very best, combining a current, topical human story with haunting, beautiful imagery. It is the story of a refugee family, told from the perspective of the children, who are on a journey with their mother, to find safety in a new country.
The inside cover illustration of the book hints at the journey that is to come, a pattern of sparse trees, peppered with cars a bike, swallows (symbols of freedom) , interspersed is a threatening border guard and a border fence and in the distance a shore with a boat. The distinctive illustration has a quirky, almost retro twist, the soft palette used reminds me of the colours of the 1970's , eggshell, beige and tomato. The illustrations in this book would easily work as stand alone pieces, they are just so detailed, interesting and ultimately beautiful.
The inside cover illustration of the book hints at the journey that is to come, a pattern of sparse trees, peppered with cars a bike, swallows (symbols of freedom) , interspersed is a threatening border guard and a border fence and in the distance a shore with a boat. The distinctive illustration has a quirky, almost retro twist, the soft palette used reminds me of the colours of the 1970's , eggshell, beige and tomato. The illustrations in this book would easily work as stand alone pieces, they are just so detailed, interesting and ultimately beautiful.
The journey begins with the family enjoying an outing at the beach. The kids play and life is carefree but black oily water licks the shore ominously. We see minarets in the background and other cultural clues later in the story that suggest that perhaps the family are Syrian but the story is so universal that the family could be from anywhere. The war, represented by pages of darkness, obliterates everything and takes away their father.
'The boat rocks and rocks as the waves grow bigger and bigger. It feels like the sea will never end. We tell each other new stories. Stories about the land we are heading to, where the big green forests are filled with kind fairies that dance and give us magic spells to end the war.' (This is one of my favourite lines in the book.)
The mother's hair has super powers and this protects the kids from the worst elements of their journey. I actually didn't realise this until I read Francesca Sanna explaining about it so the image of mother comforting the children and keeping them safe while they sleeop was really poignant for me.
'But mother is with us and she is never scared'
The Journey is a modern epic in picture book form and it is destined to become a classic in the future. It certainly deserves all the praise that it is has gotten so far.
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