Refugees is a book of two voices. The first one sees the people fleeing from war and persecution and asks, Why here? Why my country? It is a feeling many people share. It is one of fear and suspicion. But when you read the text the opposite way, a new voice emerges. It says, 'Why not make them welcome? Why not share the things we have?'
The world is undergoing a period of mass human migration. Whether this is caused by war, persecution or economics, the people we see on the news in those camps are waiting - waiting to live their lives. There are two sides to every debate. There are two sides to a wall.
This story shows both sides of the issue with skill and the illustrations depict the issue in a magic realism style, powerful but never frightening, and will promote a deeper discussion on this topic with an older child.
Brian Bilston is a secretive figure. His true identity is hidden in a cloud of pipe smoke from his supposed author photograph. From fragments of information pulled together from various Twitter feeds, we know he likes cycling, Vimto and dislikes Jeremy Clarkson. He is a published writer in anthologies.
Brian Bilston has been described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter's unofficial Poet Laureate. With over 100,000 followers across all social media platforms, including J. K. Rowling, Roger McGough, Ian Rankin and Grayson Perry, Brian has become truly beloved by the Twitter community. His poetry collection, You Took the Last Bus Home, was published by Unbound. His first novel Diary of a Somebody was shortlisted for the Costa Prize and his collection Alexa, what is there to know about love? is full of poems about love in all its forms.
