Story Boat; Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

When you have had to leave everything behind, where do you call home? Sometimes there is no such place as home, home is a simple as wherever you are. And right now the two young children in the Story Boat are right here.

Story Boat is a beautiful picture book that tells the story of the migrant journey from a child’s perspective. Along the way the children enjoy doing the things that all children do, they write, they draw, they play, they sing songs. And after each long day of travelling and wherever they are the children declare themselves, “Here.” The few objects they have brought with them serve to comfort the children and also spark their imagination as the cup, blanket, lamp and flower turn into a home, a sail, a lighthouse and a ladder. On a journey full of uncertainty it is the hope and dreams that carry these refugees forward in search of a place to call home and to finally say, “Here.”

A lyrical poem is written around each object which captures the thoughts and feelings of the children and the book is illustrated using shades of orange and blue that create striking and vivid images.

An imaginative and sensitive story that gently introduces young readers to the refugee crisis.

Recommended for 4+.