Mohammed's Journey: A Refugee Diary - Hardcover

Robinson, Anthony; Young, Annemarie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845076532 ISBN 13: 9781845076535

Publisher: Lincoln Children's Books, 2009

Synopsis

Mohammed was born in Kirkuk - the Kurdish part of Iraq. He speaks Kurdish, and now English too.Saddam Hussein persecuted Mohammed's people long before he was born but Mohammed's journey started in October 2000 when Saddam's soldiers came to his house, beat him and his mother and took his father away. Mohammed never saw his father again.This is his story. From that terrible night, to the escape from Iraq by bus, on horseback, in a small boat on a raging river and finally, hiding in a lorry on a ship. It covers his journey from Kirkuk to the Iraq-Iran border, through Iran, into Turkey and then on to England and safety.Mohammed and his mother we were granted 'leave to stay' in England in 2002.Other titles in the series: Gervelie's Journey, Hamzat's JourneyTo read a speech from the authors given at the booklaunch, click here

About this title

About the Author:

JULIAN ROBINSON is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He worked for fifteen years as a professional fashion designer, with his own label and as a consultant, working with Sir Norman Hartnell, Yves Saint Laurent, Mary Quant and Zandra Rhodes.He worked as a lecturer at colleges and universities in the UK and Australia and is the author of numerous books including The Brilliance of Art Deco (1987), The Fine Art of Fashion (1989) and The Golden Age of Style (1983).

June Allan has illustrated many children's books. She lives in Edinburgh, U.K.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1–3—This book focuses on a Kurdish family from northern Iraq. Mohammed, who was born in 1994, briefly explains some of the early problems during the Saddam Hussein years when his parents were arrested and jailed several times. The family was beaten in 2000 and Mohammed's father was taken away. No one knows what happened to him. Shortly thereafter, Mohammed and his mother escaped with other refugees and ultimately found their way to safety in England. The first page of this book has a clear map showing the family's route. This is a difficult story with a fairly happy ending. Mohammed is in high school, his mother has remarried, and he has a younger sister. However, all can be summed up in Mohammed's closing words: "I want a good life, but most of all I want what I can't have. I want my dad back." The language is simple and clear, and the illustrations are a combination of fairly realistic drawings and photographs. As students begin to study the reality of our world and the plight of refugees, this title is useful for its perspective. It would be best used in a classroom setting.—Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City
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About this edition

• Publisher: Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1845076532
• ISBN 13: 9781845076535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Allan June