Azzi In Between

Product Information

What a lovely book about a refugee and her family seeking refuge in a new country, the themes discussed are done so in a very good manner to not only facilitate discussion but children who read this to have empathy for others.

The warm, bright colors depict the destruction of war, as well as the warmth of welcome of a new country. very touchy story and very expressive illustrations, a lot to tell and to explain to your kids behind its lines , about war, homeland meaning , the refugee's suffering, family and hope. This is a fantastic picture book which is set out similarly to a comic strip which provides so much extra detail and tells the narrative in its own way. Azzi In Between first came to my attention following it winning the inaugural Little Rebels Children’s Book Award .She goes to school, friends come over to play, her dad’s a doctor, mum sews beautiful clothes and her beloved grandma lives with them. It's noticeable that in the latter half of the book, the colours start to feel a lot more solid and rooted, and the images feel more constructed around the people as opposed to around the world. Sarah Garland has written and illustrated over forty picture books and adventure stories for young children. It is entirely possible to have a refugee in your class and they may wish to share their journey like Azzi but they also may find it too much to talk about. I was really impressed with this book--it showed just enough of the child's view on war and on being a refugee to make the reader anxious and afraid, but not so much that it would overwhelm or trigger a kid.

I love how Garland has structured this story, it is set out in a comic strip-like style and I think this makes it really attractive to children. Similarly to other refugee stories that I have read, Garland highlights the underlying sense of unfamiliarity within a country speaking a different language. It's very emotive and it's a sensitive topic, children may be refugees themselves who may want to share their experiences or what they went through could be too difficult to talk about so as a teacher, you would have to know the individuals in the class very well. It has been written in such a way, that children could read it and understand it alone, and the illustrations can also be used to help children understand the story. Covering many genres some are great for engaging reluctant readers while others are perfect to entertain those reading above their age.I also love how through the illustrations danger, fear and sadness is symbolised through dark colours. This book will be great to show children to widen their understanding of the variety of backgrounds, cultures and experiences others have. Garland's style has a warmth about it that's shaded in shadowy, light-caught colours that never seem quite solid or still on the page. She's crafted a kind, warm-hearted and very very quietly provocative book centred around the journey of the titular Azzi. It also has strong themes of family which makes the book even more moving when Grandma is left behind before she comes to England.

The daughter of a publisher and illustrator, she trained as a typographer at the London College of Printing. We experience her struggles to adapt to her new life and how she copes with missing what she had to leave behind.The reader must only feel joy when Azzi begins life at her new school and is reunited with Grandma, as a happy family. I'd recommend this book to share with Y2 upwards, particularly in PHSE lessons, and it would be a good resource for Refugee Week. It shows the challenges experienced by these children in leaving their home country and settling down in a new one, as well as how we can make these children feel welcome at school. She is best known for her warm and witty portrayals of family relationships, and for her outstanding work for preschool picture books. Exploration of the facets that build a sense of belonging would be so essential to discuss, helping to increase awareness that a journey to safety is not over through the mere crossing of territory, and worries do not always heal by distancing oneself from the place of danger.

This picture book, written and illustrated in frames, as a graphic novel would be, tells the story of Azzi, a refugee from an unspecified* middle-eastern country to a western country. Azzi In Between is an excellent cross-curricular resource that looks at asylum, war, separation and integration and what it is to be a refugee today. It shows the differences in countries and cultures, and children would be able to notice similarities and differences between Azzi's life and their own lives. The tapestry of themes around inclusion, helping others, family love, starting anew in a foreign country are wonderfully depicted. There is a war taking place in Azzi's home country and her and her family must leave their home and escape to another country.The story would need to be approached in a sensitive manner, and may need to be explained further, but would be brilliant to use in the classroom. We follow the family through their journey the United Kingdom (un-named, but recognisable by the white cliffs of Dover) and watch Azzi adopt her new life. Told through the eyes of children, this moving collection of short stories focuses on the experiences of asylum seekers from all over the world.