Home and Away

John Marsden (author)
Matt Ottley (illustrations)

Lothian Children's Books, Australia: 2008

ISBN: 9780734410566

Genres: picture book, realistic fiction

Issues: hunger, immigration, poverty, refugees, war

CBCA Honour Book 2009: Picture Book of the Year

A family living a normal, contented life, has their world shattered by war.

Suddenly ‘normal' is about trying to stay alive - searching for food, avoiding others who are similarly searching, attempting to keep the family healthy and seeking a way to escape their situation. Places on a rusty boat to a safer place cost everything they have and more.

When the family finally arrives, the sanctuary they have hoped for is denied them. Instead they are treated like criminals. They may be alive but they have no life. No hope. And far too many memories of death.

One of Marsden's greatest strengths as a writer is his ability to place his readers in a situation they would normally only relate to very distantly, as something that happens to ‘others' (who by implication are less valuable). In 'Home and Away', Marsden uses the diary form to take readers who live safe, prosperous lives and position them in the middle of a war.

Marsden and Ottley put Australian faces to the refugee experience, challenging the reader to walk in the shoes of those incarcerated in detention centres. The reader must feel the desperation, the terror, the confusion, the grief of those forced from their homes by war and hunger, only to be welcomed in a new land by guns and anger.

Ottley's mixed media illustrations echo the graphic work of child refugees, interspersed with haunting images of a family badly affected by hunger and illness. Poignant, realistic details such as skin infections and ungroomed hair add a stark subtext about how easily it could be the ‘safer' societies to whom this happens.

A powerful plea for compassion, empathy and generosity, this is a disturbing and memorable picture book for older readers. Expect to see 'Home and Away' on the CBCA shortlist later this year.

Warning: may distress sensitive readers; supervised reading best for 9-12yrs