Stormy Seas

This book brings us the stories of the hundreds of people who risk their life in search of a better life. As the daughter of a Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. legally and having heard my uncle's story of leaving Cuba in a car tire and the perils he faced along his journey, I think this book is a must in many U.S. households especially under the current administration. I would hope that reading these very real stories would create empathy and understanding for refugees and their plight.

'Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees' by Mary Beth Leatherdale with illustrations by Eleanor Shakespeare follows the stories of 5 young refugees on dangerous sea journeys.

The five journeys include a young lady fleeing the Nazis and sailing for Cuba, A 14-year old Vietnamese boy fleeing for life in the United States, and A young woman fleeing the Taliban for life in Australia. In all cases the journeys were complicated by things storms, overcrowded boats, or countries that wanted to turn them back. Each story tells what happened to the person.

The book ends with an timeline of refugees from World War II to the present. There is also a list of references of groups that work with refugees or have history about them.

It's aimed at younger readers and it's done very well. The seriousness of the peril is there without going into graphic details. Historical context is given as well as timelines. I really appreciated getting to read this book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Annick Press Ltd. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Unfortunately Stormy Seas comes at an unsympathetic and ugly time for refugees in the United States and EU. It is a time where angry debates, pernicious laws and frankly hate speech and actions are directed towards them. Right now gates are closing to Syrian refugees and borders are tightening or closed to those who are desperate and fearful for their lives. It makes me heartsick. Fortunately we have Stormy Seas to remind us that this has been an historical struggle that has happened since the 1600's and probably before. She shows us how all over the country, yours and mine, children were turned away despite being in danger and this has happened over and over again. Her focus in on children who are young boat refugees. Some came with family and some did not. Their fear and suffering are evident yet these young children find a place and some peace as they become citizens in their new country. The book is visually arresting. Using collage, picture, paint and a myriad of styles the pictures shows us the perils and promise of their harrowing journeys.

Thank you to Netgalley who gave me this book to review for an honest opinion.

This book is a beautifully designed middle grades picture book about real kids who became refugees and escaped their homeland by boat. These short stories, about children from Germany, Vietnam, Cuba, and more, are sad and encouraging and very timely. Stormy Seas would be a great conversation starter with your children.

This book must be protected at all costs.

It's such an important read, especially in times like today when we forget that refugees and asylum seekers are human too and deserving of our care.
I loved how the stories were told, in an objective light but still with analysis. They broke my heart but, more importantly, shocked me at the amount of indifference and coldness the government of "civilized and developed" countries were able to show in the so recent past. Unfortunately, I can see the past repeating itself today, even in Europe, despite having been founded on value of solidarity and compassion.

If everyone read this book or got more informed about the events in which this was based on, we would be living in a much kinder world.

Also, as a side note, I love the illustrations and how they made every page look like an official file.

This is one of the best nonfiction books on migration I've seen ever. It ticks all the boxes on content, graphics, info graphics, context and background and seeing migration as a constant historical process not isolated events. This would tie in with curriculum in upper elementary to high school as it can be accessed at so many levels. Absolutely a must buy.