Garland's style has a warmth about it that's shaded in shadowy, light-caught colours that never seem quite solid or still on the page. There is a war taking place in Azzi's home country and her and her family must leave their home and escape to another country. Drawing on her own experience of working among refugee families, Sarah Garland has created a story which will strike a chord with many who have undergone similar ordeals.

It’s aimed at children so I can see why some of the more horrific aspects of life as a refugee are left out, but this meant it didn’t have the punch-in-the-gut impact I was hoping for. With only her teddy bear and a blanket they flee, across a dark sea with many others in a small boat. To me, it was the barrier created by Azzi's internal worries about her father's emotional well being, and the whereabouts of her absent grandmother, that resulted in her settling in a space between security and insecurity. With determination and love Azzi succeeds in bringing happiness to her family and is finally reunited with her dear grandma.

But most of the story is focussing on her life in a new country, where everything is different but all she wants is for her family to be happy and together.

Children's book reviews, video reviews and more Reviews and Videos Our ethos is to encourage positive, healthy development through early learning, and to help foster an awareness of living sustainably, caring for our planet and all her creatures.It has been written in such a way, that children could read it and understand it alone, and the illustrations can also be used to help children understand the story. I would honestly recommend this book to all teachers, adults and children over a certain age/maturity.

The comic book style offers lots of pictures, allowing us to explore the details of this child’s experience. I was really impressed with this book--it showed just enough of the child's view on war and on being a refugee to make the reader anxious and afraid, but not so much that it would overwhelm or trigger a kid. It also has strong themes of family which makes the book even more moving when Grandma is left behind before she comes to England. It tells the story of Azzi, a refugee who fled from her own country which was experiencing war to come and live in England. The book is very emotive and even made me cry, therefore, I'm not sure it would be suitable for younger children.This picture book, written and illustrated in frames, as a graphic novel would be, tells the story of Azzi, a refugee from an unspecified* middle-eastern country to a western country.