LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Brian Bilston’s poem talks about refugees opening with the lines, ‘They have no need of our help/So do not tell me/ These haggard faces could belong to you or me.’ But at the lines, ‘Do not be so stupid to think that/The world can be looked at another way’, we read the poem again, this time from bottom back to the top, and an opposite meaning appears, ‘These haggard faces could belong to you or me/ So do not tell me/ They have no need of our help.’
Bilston uses the palindrome or reverse poem to make readers and listeners question the cruel, fearful discourse around refugees – heard too often – and to emphasise the kinder view.
José Sanabria’s striking painterly illustrations are very powerful too. In the first half, scenes around the refugees are nightmarish with threatening, scary shapes and figures on all sides. In the second half, the palette is much brighter, here people are depicted welcoming refugees with flowers, food, toys for the children. The illustrations make clear the choice the poem is offering, and which option is the happier for us all.
Andrea Reece
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About
Refugees Synopsis
Refugee is a powerful word.
One that conjures opposing emotions. For some it provokes feelings of fear and hate, for others the need for compassion, understanding, and empathy. In this celebrated poem, Refugees, Brian Bilston tells both sides of the story by cleverly crafting a verse that can be read backward and forward to convey two opposing views.
Brian Bilston is often described as the "Poet Laureate of Twitter" (now X) and this much admire poem, perfectly accompanied by artwork from illustrator, Jose Sanabria, is a wonderful way to explore this emotive issue as you realize that it's not just the words that have been reversed!
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781917082914 |
| Publication date: |
19th September 2024 |
| Author: |
Brian Bilston |
| Illustrator: |
Jose Sanabria |
| Publisher: |
Gemini Children's Books an imprint of Gemini Children's Books Limited |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
32 pages |
| Series: |
Poetry Gift Book |
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Author
About Brian Bilston
Brian Bilston writes poems full of humour, energy and heart and has become much loved on social media. His published poetry collections include, You Took the Last Bus Home, Alexa, what is there to know about love?, Let Sleeping Cats Lie, 50 Ways to Score a Goal, And So This is Christmas and Days Like These.
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