By Erika Meza (author) , Erika Meza (illustrator)
"A powerful refugee journey from the point of view of young children"
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Hardback In Stock £14.99 £13.49
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Shortlisted for the Children's & YA Jhalak Prize 2024
The author explains in a note at the end of the book that there are 13 million child refugees in the world, and that every year tens of thousands of children have to leave their homes, sometimes going alone, sometimes in company to search for safety and a place to live. This is a perfect book to open up some of those conversations we all need to have about war and understanding.
In this powerful tale two siblings set off with only backpacks. The older sister tries to make it into a game – you only need to avoid the monsters and keep moving. They wear brightly coloured carnival masks as the masks will help to hide them, but if they are caught then they are out….
The strange progress of a journey like this is shown in the words and pictures – the longueurs of waiting, the playing on the way, the different means of movement – and all the different dreams of the characters. As the awfully long journey progresses the younger boy becomes overwhelmed by it, whilst the sister urges him on as realisation dawns on him it is not a game at all.
The colour in this book is used very carefully, with lots of muted tones with only flashes of colour and the brightly coloured children’s masks adding to the white pages. The monsters are rendered as ink blot type monsters, so no uniforms – so that the book could apply to any child and any nationality.
This book, I am sure, will stimulate empathy for the brother and sister and other refugees through the use of such rich symbols and everyday emotions. Carrying such a strong message portrayed in a simple form this book needs reading over and over as children welcome more and more refugees into their homes and schools.
A powerful and timely story, exploring the journey of two young refugee children in search of safety. Perfect for opening up conversations about conflict and war, encouraging empathy and understanding.
Read the full description
A young boy and his older sister have left home to play a game. To win, she tells him, they must travel across endless lands together and make it to the finish line.
Children they meet along the way imagine what might be waiting for them across the border: A spotted dog? Ice cream! Or maybe a new school. But the journey is difficult, and the monsters are more real than they imagined. And when it no longer feels like a game, the two children must still find a way to forge ahead, and reach the other side.
Beautifully brought to life by author-illustrator Erika Meza, this is a symbolic and emotionally rich picture book about the spirit and strength it takes to leave your home behind.
Watch author illustrator Erika Meza introduce To The Other Side below
Erika was born in Mexico and developed a taste for eclairs in Paris before moving to the UK to teach drawing. She won a scholarship to study in L'Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, where she learned to combine bold colour and mark-making with poetry. When Erika isn't drawing you'll find her plotting ways to teach her cat to play the piano.
Photography © Pedro Meza
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The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed To The Other Side and determined it is suitable for children aged 3-6 years old
To The Other Side features in the following genres: Featured Books for 5+ readers, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for 3+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. £13.49, down from the £14.99 cover price. In Stock.
To The Other Side was written by Erika Meza and published by Hodder Children's Books an imprint of Hachette Children's Group
To The Other Side has 40 pages
£13.49, reduced from £14.99. In Stock.
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