Salih by Inda Ahmad Zahri and Anne Ryan

His life and home destroyed by bombs and fighting, Salih carries all that is left on his back. He has left the sounds of crying in the night and joined others at a refugee camp where a man teaches him to paint. Here with other children, they paint their dreams and Salih puts these paintings into discarded bottles. He carries them with him as he searches for the sea, where a boat will carry them to the place of their dreams. The angry sea snatches the bottles away, almost destroying their dreams, but these are held in their hearts, until, landing on  new shore, they hope that love will come to greet them.

This poignant story will tug at people’s consciences as they see a child, not much older than those reading the book, on a terrifying journey, one that starts in his family home where warm milk is given at bedtime and ice cream eaten at the park, and leads them across dusty hills, carrying all their belongings in the hope of reaching somewhere safe. Along the way Inda tells of their heartache at leaving their country, and their time in a refugee camp, searching with others for that elusive place to call home.

Ryan’s illustrations capture the unreliability of so may lives around the world. Her mixed media images portray the happy family whose lives are destroyed by war, the same group trudging towards the sea, then being tossed about on enormous waves, to find land on which all hopes are pinned. The last page is full of optimism as the bottles have been found and the children use the illustrations as kites, welcoming the newcomers.

Ahmad Zahri stories are inspired by her travels and her heritage. A doctor, she and her husband emigrated from Malaysia to live and work in Australia. Anne Ryan is an author and illustrator who lives and works in Melbourne. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Refugees, War, Homeless, Painting, Kites, Hope, Optimism, Dreams.

Fran Knight