What Is a Refugee?

An accessible picture book that oh-so-simply and graphically introduces the term "refugee" to curious young children to help them better understand the world in which they live.

Who are refugees? Why are they called that word? Why do they need to leave their country? Why are they sometimes not welcome in their new country? In this relevant picture book for the youngest children, author-illustrator Elise Gravel explores what it means to be a refugee in bold, graphic illustrations and spare text. This is the perfect tool to introduce an important and timely topic to children.

Elise Gravel is an award-winning author-illustrator from Quebec. She studied graphic design at Le Collège d'Enseignement Général et Professional and has since published numerous picture books including La clé à molette (La Courte Échelle Publishers), which won the Governor General's Literary Award for illustration. She is inspired by social causes and lives in Montreal with her husband and two children.

“Bold lines, saturated colors, and expressive faces serve to emphasize the human cost of displacement. Gravel's strength is her ability to humanize this topic.” —Booklist

“Effective and compassionate…. With simple text and vibrant illustrations, this picture book introduces young readers to refugees as 'people, just like you and me.'” —School Library Journal

“Manages a rather titanic feat of humanizing an overwhelming humanitarian crisis for young audiences with a direct, no-frills text that avoids euphemisms but maintains accessibility. The illustrations are similarly kid appropriate.”  —Bulletin