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In her post at the beginning of the month, Aline talked about books which help young people gain some insight into what it means to be a refugee, in light of World Refugee Day on the 20th June – and in fact we decided to bring her post up to the top on Friday to keep the day at the forefront of our minds.

She mentioned Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed (Eerdman, US 2008) and this really is a particularly special book for giving an idea of what life is like for children in a refugee camp.

Two other books for younger children which also highlight some of the difficulties faced by refugees but also, crucially, that in essence children are children the world over, are:

A True Person By Gabiann Marin, illustrated by Jacqui Grantford (New Frontier Publishing, 2007), in which a young girl, Zallah, is living with her mother in an Australian immigration detention centre, while they wait to hear if they will be allowed to stay in Australia - see our full review here; and…

One Green Apple by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Clarion Books, 2006), which tells the story of Farah, who has recently arrived in the US from the Middle East. She is not finding it easy to cope with a new culture and language – but on this, her second day of school, she is going on a field trip to an apple orchard and it is a chance for Farah and her classmates to make the first steps towards friendship and learn that there are ways to get over any barrier of language. Tone of voice, gestures, smiles – all these help to make Farah begin to feel welcome and recognise that some things can and will be just like they were at home.

Perhaps what makes the story so powerful is that Farah herself is the narrator – through the picture-book medium, Eve Bunting has given a clear voice to all those young people who arrive in a new place feeling vulnerable and unable to communicate. It is a story but it reflects certain aspects of reality – not everyone is nice and there are references to intolerance and impatience: but the overriding message for children in Farah’s situation is that it is possible to feel whole again; and it serves as a compelling reminder to children generally how to make a newcomer feel welcome and reassured.

Lewin’s stunning illustrations also deserve a special mention – they enhance the insight offered by the story through their perfectly attuned observation of body language as much as verbal communication; his children’s faces are perfect, whatever their expression. And the word luminosity comes to my mind every time I look at them, they are so enfused with dappled sunlight.

These are all well-written and beautifully presented books, which will make young children ponder, and probably ask lots of questions. Certainly they are best read aloud the first time they are introduced. Can anyone else recommend books for reading aloud to children which touch on the experiences of young refugees?

Oh goodness me! I am just SOOOO filled with trembling anticipation. Oh joy! Oh wonder! Yippee doo!

Phew. Let me take a deep breath (puff, pant, puff) and I'll explain myself. See, we don't get a lot of visitors here in the toyroom, but on Tuesday we are having a VERY SPECIAL visitor.

So, who is coming? My official portrait painter, that's who! See, Jacqui Grantford, the worlds' best illustrator, has illustrated a new book, Squeezy Cuddle Dangly Legs (written by Peter Whitfield) and she's on a book tour. On Tuesday, it's my turn - she's coming to visit with me. I've been busy thinking up some clever questions to ask her, and Primula and the other toys have all been busy dusting the shelves, clearing the floor and generally sprucing up the toyroom.

Jacqui is coming! Jacqui is coming!

If you can't wait until Tuesday, you can drop by today and see what Jacqui is doing as she hangs out with Bren MacDibble, and watch out in subsequent days as she pops up around the net.

Must go and rehearse my questions!

The fifth day of my story sessions in honour of children’s book week. Today I thought I’d have a little fun and read my life story to the other toys. See, Pemberthy Bear isn’t just a story about me – it’s also about all the other toys as well, because they’re all there, in the beautiful pictures that my friend Jacqui painted of us. So, in a week where we are sharing and celebrating books, what better book than to share than one in which we all appear?

Anyway, I had a bit of fun with toys. They were all gathered for story time and I had hidden the book under a cushion before they got there. Then I made them guess which story I’d chosen. I gave them hints. ‘It’s a tale of a beautiful heroine overcoming overwhelming odds,’ I hinted. ‘It’s almost too sweet to bear,’ was the next hint. It took a while but eventually Robbie Robot guessed. Then I read them the story, and they all wondered anew at seeing themselves brought to life in the lovely illustrations.

It really was a lovely story session. It’s wonderful that we all have this book to share and remind us of how blessed we are to have each other. And of course I must admit that I love being the star of the book. How lucky am I to have a friend like Sally, willing to write my story down and share it with the world, and a friend like Jacqui who was able to portray me so beautifully in her illustrations.

I’m a lucky bear!