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The Day War Came

Book Synopsis

A powerful and necessary picture book – the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known.

Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious…

When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education, kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book, movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers.

Our Review Panel says...

This is a moving picture book, that shares of the initial unwelcome refugees can sometimes face when arriving in a new place. The story tells of the love of children in a class, naive to the politics of the world, inviting other children into their world by giving up their own chair in the classroom and opening up their community to refugees. Emotive in its nature, with a potent message about the power of kindness and hope, the book ignited a campaign where people posted images of empty chairs as symbols of solidarity with children who had lost everything to war in their home countries. Published in association with Help Refugees, it is a powerful tool for opening up discussions about the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers.

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The Day War Came: Teacher Notes

A resource pack provided by the publisher to accompany the book The Day War Came.

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