We were very kindly gifted a copy of ESCAPE by Lantana Publishing, written by Ming and Wah and illustrated by Carmen Vela. It was the perfect starting point for a conversation with our kids about the different reasons someone may need to up and leave their homes. From a personal perspective, members of our family from both sides have experienced displacement and had to seek asylum, each with a different cause. It’s a topic that impacts many more people than you might realise.
Escape is a book that tells stories of hope and resilience of several people fleeing quite literally for their lives. It should be read by families everywhere to inspire empathy and conversations about what you can do to help people who may settle in your community.
Synopsis
CLING. Don’t let go. Hold tight. Never give up. FLY. Rev up. Lift off. Soar. PEDAL. Set off. Cycle. Pedal for your life.
Throughout history, ordinary people have been forced to leave their families and homes because of war, famine, slavery, intolerance, economic and political upheaval, or climate change. These remarkable true stories of escape show how courageous people all around the world have overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in their flight to freedom.
Review
ESCAPE: ONE DAY WE HAD TO RUN was a very informative book about how people all over the world have to escape for various reasons. This book discussed how people leave their homes due to flooding, wars, suffering and many more causes.
I think that lots of people should read this book because not only is it very factual, it is accompanied by incredible illustrations which help make the experience of reading the book even better. This book is very important for people who are curious about why people from different countries have to evacuate their homes.
I recommend this book to children and adults of all ages as the stories were fascinating and it even gives you information at the end of the book about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights with a link to find out more information. I also think schools should use this book in lessons about asylum seekers and human rights.
– Lily (age 10).
