by Na'ima B. Robert
illustrated by Nadine Kaadan
 
Longlisted Little Rebels Award 2024
 
This book begins, "Somewhere out there..." We witness: a child who sees a world on fire; another who hears the cries of people seeking sanctuary; a child searching desperately for a story in which she can find herself; one who feels powerless against corporate violence and greed. "But somewhere out there..." There's a pause. And then, we begin to see all these four children as resourceful, empowered, as agents of change. Nothing about this is idealistic- all the accounts are based on real life child activists (backnotes are included): Great Thunberg, Yusra Mardini, Marley Dias and Iqbal Masih.

The artwork is exceptional. Our favourite images include the portrayal of Marley Dias, lying down, surrounded by pages and pages of books which only show her characters with blond hair and white faces or anthropomorphic characters. The visual shift from the first to the second half of the book is especially striking and powerful- from images of the children stooped down or dwarfed by objects and people to images of them rising up, reaching out and towering above. Endorsed by Amnesty.

'I liked the messages of hope- everyone can be the change' (Jayne, Primary Inclusion Manager, Letterbox Library reviewer). Age 5-9, Hardback 24pp
 
Themes: Refugees and Migration