Mohammed's Journey (A Refugee Diary) - Softcover

Robinson, Anthony; Young, Annemarie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1847802095 ISBN 13: 9781847802095

Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books, 2011

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.

About this title

About the Author:

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

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).

Review:

With photos and realistic illustrations, this is a tribute to the resilience of people who fight against all odds for a better life. Irish Examiner A harrowing tale which should make readers proud of the welcome our country extends to people desperately in need of safety and freedom. Northern Echo June Allan's poignant illustrations are supplemented by photographs and there's a spread about the recent history of Iraq. This thought-provoking story would make a useful teaching aid. Glasgow Herald The concept is excellent and it is important for children to understand what life as a refugee would be like. School Librarian The full import of this [situation] can hardly be conveyed in a book that is intended for a pre-teen audience, although it is good to see it attempted. The matter-of-fact text and the restrained illustrations resist the exploitation of suffering and indignity and offer enough support to the text to provoke the reader's empathetic imagination. Colour photographs mounted as if in a scrapbook of snap shots, remind us that this is happened not so long ago and is still happening to children who sit in British classrooms. Books for Keeps Children living in more politically stable countries can learn a lot from these books and appreciate better what it means to be free. The clever combination of photographs and watercolour illustrations, plus the useful glossary of facts, provide a wealth of authentic detail. Carousel This book is a 'must' for KS2 and early teenage readers, to help them understand that behind the word 'refugee' there is a suffering person who wants to be safe and free. For children who have suffered similarly, it provides a shared experience with which they can readily identify. English 4-11

About this edition

• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1847802095
• ISBN 13: 9781847802095
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Allan June