English / Canada
Stormy seas. Stories of young boat refugees
Leatherdale, Mary Beth
(text)
Shakespeare, Eleanor
(illus.)
Toronto: Annick Press, [2017]. – VI p. + 56 p.
ISBN 978-1-55451-895-1
Refugee | History 1930-2010 | Survival | Rejection | Prejudice | Non-fiction
Reading age: 12+
White Ravens issue: 2018
Wars, famines, religious persecution, and the like – there are lots of different reasons that force people to leave their home countries. Most refugees undertake perilous journeys, often in overfilled boats, in search of a safe place where they can build a new life with (or without) their families. In this slender non-fiction book, Mary Beth Leatherdale has collected the memorable tales of five young refugees from different decades – from Ruth and her Jewish family, who boarded a ship to Cuba in 1939 in order to flee Nazi Germany, to thirteen-year-old Mohamed’s four-year trek running from Civil War in Ivory Coast to Italy (2006-2010). The author delivers touching retellings of each of the young people’s stories and combines these personal accounts with concise historical information, statistics, and upsetting quotes. Eleanor Shakespeare’s bold digital collages and the careful overall design make this a visually attractive and well-structured book, important for readers of all ages.