View source for Refuge by Anne Booth and Sam Usher

{{infobox2
|title=Refuge
|author=Anne Booth and Sam Usher
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=If you've had difficulty explaining the current refugee crisis to children this book, with its gentle retelling of the nativity story, might be the answer.  It's also been produced at no profit by Nosy Crow and £5 from the sale of each £7.99 book goes to the War Child charity. Highly recommended.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=No
|pages=32
|publisher=Nosy Crow
|date=November 2015
|isbn=978-0857637413
|website=
|video=
|aznuk=0857637711
|aznus=0857637711
|cover=0857637711
}}

A donkey tells the story of how he was led by the man whilst he carried the woman, all the way to Bethlehem, where the baby was born.  Soon after, the shepherds came and then the kings.  But then the man had a dream - a dream of danger - and he knew that it was time for them all to leave.  They left some gold for the innkeeper (they were not staying in the stable because they were ''poor'') and went through the quiet streets ''hoping for the kindness of strangers'', which they found.  Finally they came to another land - to Egypt - and found refuge.

There can be few people who have not been horrified by the current refugee crisis.  We've seen children, who could so easily have been our own children, in circumstances too difficult to contemplate and completely dependant on ''the kindness of strangers''.  It's difficult to explain what's happening to these children in words which ''our'' children can understand and this gentle, beautiful book helps to put the situation into context.  The words are simple, elegant and completely appropriate and Sam Usher's illustrations bring them to life perfectly.  It's one of the most moving retellings of the nativity story which I've read, particularly as it ends with so much ''hope''.

The publishers will not make any money from the sale of ''Refuge''.  They've absorbed everything other than their print costs (and the book has all of Nosy Crow's high production values, so don't think that you're getting something cheap and rather shoddy, which sometimes happens when you buy something from which a charity benefits) and £5 from the sale of this £7.99 book goes to [http://www.warchild.org.uk War Child] to help care for Syrian refugee children.

Surely you have a child in your life who needs ''Refuge''?  Please remember that there's only one letter's difference between ''refuge'' and ''refugee''.  All the letters in this book could make so much difference.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

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[[Category:Anne Booth]]
[[Category:Sam Usher]]