Refugees, a powerful reverse poem, is being published as a thought provoking picture book. It explores fear and suspicion versus compassion and empathy and encourages us to consider the opposing views and prejudices about refugees that we may encounter in our daily lives.
The Refugees poem is dark and lacks compassion and heart – why should we welcome layabout, scrounging refugees into our countries and share our food and our homes? It suggests building walls to keep refugees out and keeping our countries free for those who are born there.
But in the middle of the book the same poem is reversed and line by line it conveys a completely different, heartwarming, welcoming message. Refugees are people just like us and we should be encouraged to share our food, open our homes and not judge them with suspicion and fear.
The language is simple but powerful. ‘We need to see them for who they really are’ is such a thought provoking line which conveys two different meanings depending on the lines that come before and after the text.
We love José Sanabria’s collage style illustrations which use colour to convey mood and feelings. The first half of the book uses dull, earthy colours and includes downtrodden, depressed characters who are trying to survive their ordeal. Once the poem is reversed the illustrations are more brightly coloured with happy, supportive characters, we love the illustration where they’re holding hands.
Refugees can be used to stimulate classroom discussions about the problems and experiences that refugees face when they have to abandon their homelands. Depending on the age of a child and the message you want to start with you could either read this book from front to back or back to front.
You can read the original poem on Brain Bilston’s website.
Age Range: 5 +
Author: Brian Bilston / Illustrator: José Sanabria
Thank you to Gemini Books for sending a review copy of this thought provoking book.
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