Book of the Month June 2022 - My name is not Refugee

''My name is not Refugee’ by Kate Milner
 
Trying to explain and answer questions from children about war and how it affects ordinary people can be difficult, I want to be honest without over burdening their young minds. 

‘My name is not Refugee’ allowed me to talk about the refugee crisis in a simple, easy to understand format that allowed the children to empathise, think, and discuss questions raised in the book without becoming too upsetting for young minds.

The story is based around a mother explaining to her child that they needed to leave their home, it shows highlights the difficulties in leaving behind loved ones and friends through a child eye’s as well as the practicalities, and then their journey to find safety.

It is handled wonderfully by the author with direct simple language and questions poised to the reader to help think over how they may feel in that situation. 

The illustrations are beautiful and reflect the hardships and danger faced without overwhelming the reader, my older child (aged 8) responded to the illustrations with observations on how the little family in the book would feel based off drawings and my younger child (aged 6) on the practicalities raised in the questions posed as we went through the story. 

The book itself handles a difficult, tragic subject in a sensitive manner and can be understood on different levels opening a wider conversation but also on the basic level bringing humanity back into the word refugee. 

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a way to answer little one’s question in a sensitive, simple, and empathetic manner.

Jane Cooper

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