Begin again by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is well-known for his striking picture books published for children. While his latest release Begin Again: The Story of How We Got Here and Where We Might Go would perhaps be suitable for older primary school aged children as a shared discussed text, the real benefit will be for secondary students and adults.

The book begins with an image of two hands holding fire. It leads to the question ‘Where did we begin?’ which is answered ‘with fire I suppose.’ The text then explores other beginnings and where they have led to. The flow of the story feels like the author is pondering over many things and as he thinks and questions more deeply, the reader is taken on an engaging, disturbing, yet hopeful journey. He shares the thoughts of the Apollo 8 astronauts who, from outer space, came to the realisation that all humanity belongs to one planet, Earth. We are a community where there should not be division from borders or beliefs or power or greed.

Jeffers talks about storytelling; that this is one thing we all have in common. Stories unite us. We can learn from each other’s stories. Stories may well be our hope for the future. Using only the colours of fluorescent pink and purple often against a white background, his graphic-style images complement his clever use of a few words across a double page spread. Words which are both thoughtful, and thought-provoking.  At the end of the book there is a lengthy must-read author’s note which gives an illuminating understanding of the reasons behind the book.

Themes: Thoughts, Actions, Social Commentary, Philosophy, Humanity, Stories, History, Progress.

Kathryn Beilby