There has been a great deal of visual footage in the press recently and many questions have been asked in our home regarding the Christmas Island Detention Centre.
I reached for a book we published back in 2007 to give our children more insight into the lives of refugees.
A True Person is written by Gabiann Marin and illustrated by Jacqui Grantford. It took a couple of years to complete this project and during this time the ending of the book was changed to reflect the current situation at the time. After much public outcry, in late 2005, child refugees were moved into more suitable community detention.
Initially Mwalo (an African man) left the detention centre, but by the time the book was almost ready for press the ending was changed and Zallah (a young girl) and her mother left the detention centre for community detention. Mwalo stayed behind.
A True Person is a moving story which highlights the bond between Mother and Daughter in times of adversity.
Zallah and her mother have escaped their war torn country and are looking for safety in Australia. Instead of freedom they find themselves in a detention centre. Zallah struggles with the reason for this punishment. For Zallah there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
This is a gentle tale that gives children a glimpse of life as a refugee.
The book has also just been made available on CD through Gecko Educational.
No comments:
Post a Comment