the journey picture book pdf

The Journey

Francesca sanna.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2016

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Book and activities: the journey.

This beautifully illustrated picture book introduces a powerful and moving perspective on migration for readers of all ages. Told through the eyes of a young girl, the story explores the unimaginable decisions faced by a mother and her two children as they are forced to flee their home and everyone they know to escape the turmoil of war.

The book’s inspiration came when author and illustrator Francesca Sanna met two girls in a refugee centre in Italy. She then began interviewing more refugee families in Europe, and created this book as a tribute to their plight and strength.

A simple narrative and dramatic and meaningful graphics offer ways for teachers to open discussions about refugees and what it would be like to live through such a harrowing journey. The book also addresses many other questions about home, war, fear, change and safety, which can only help to change perceptions of the current refugee crisis.

The questions in this resource encourage discussion and critical thinking as you read through the text. We have chosen several spreads to examine closely. Start each with ‘What can you see?’ in order to give the reader space to respond freely. The questions can be used with individuals, small groups or whole classes if the book can be projected.  

While you’re here…

Like you, we are horrified by the violence and the civilian death toll in Gaza, Israel and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We’re calling for an immediate ceasefire by all parties in the occupied Gaza Strip and Israel to prevent further loss of civilian lives. Amnesty International is investigating mass summary killings, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, hostage-taking, and siege tactics.

As ever, our mission to protect human rights remains. Please donate today to help expose war crimes and protect human rights. Thank you.

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THE JOURNEY

by Francesca Sanna illustrated by Francesca Sanna ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016

A necessary, artful, and searing story.

A timely, powerful picture book about refugees.

Although the setting’s time and place are unspecified, the story of a widowed mother fleeing a war-torn homeland with her two children reverberates with the real-world experiences of contemporary Syrian refugees and others crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe. The family members have black hair and pale skin, and the mother takes advice from a friend who wears the hijab, though her own hair is uncovered. They travel by car, by bicycle, hidden in the backs of trucks, and on foot until they reach a wall, where a border guard prevents them from crossing. Here, expressive, posterlike art renders the guard a monstrously tall, red-bearded man who towers over the wall and sends the family back into the forest. In a heart-rending spread, facing pages depict the mother cradling her children on the verso as the child narrator confides, “In the darkness the noises of the forest scare me,” while on the recto the child continues, “But my mother is with us and she is never scared”—with a picture of the family in the same huddled pose but with the children now asleep and tears streaming from the mothers’ eyes. After a dangerous sea crossing, the family moves with hope toward a safer place, though there is no certain happily-ever-after resolution.

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-909263-99-4

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE WILD ROBOT PROTECTS

From the wild robot series , vol. 3.

by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.

Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.

When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9780316669412

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION

More by Aaron Reynolds

by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown

by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown

LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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The Journey Hardcover – Illustrated, September 13, 2016

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 48 pages
• Language English
• Grade level Kindergarten - 2
• Lexile measure AD630L
• Dimensions 11.31 x 0.43 x 8.5 inches
• Publisher Flying Eye Books
• Publication date September 13, 2016
• ISBN-10 1909263990
• ISBN-13 978-1909263994
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flying Eye Books; Illustrated edition (September 13, 2016)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1909263990
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1909263994
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6 years, from customers
• Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD630L
• Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 2
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.31 x 0.43 x 8.5 inches
• #31 in Children's Middle East Books
• #175 in Children's Books on Death & Dying
• #310 in Children's Fiction on Social Situations

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About the author

Francesca sanna.

FRANCESCA SANNA is an award-winning illustrator and children’s book author based in Zurich, Switzerland.

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Book Review

The journey.

Author:  Francesca Sanna

Illustrator: Francesca Sanna

Publisher: Flying Eye Books

ISBN: 978-1-909263-99-4

Audience :  Ages 5-8

Summary: This beautifully illustrated book came out of the true stories of refugee families looking for a new home when their lives are impacted by war. The search for hope and a future for children and parents living in a real world of such loss and fear comes through to the end. As the reality of life for a refugee family escaping to a new home is told, a happy ending is not described, but hope moves on beyond the end of the story.

Literary elements at work in the story: This book tells the fictional story of a refugee family through simple words and strong illustrations. The Journey is told through the view of the child as narrator. The setting is nonspecific as to time, place, or religious orientation. The words are not graphic in telling the story. The illustrations tell that darker part of the story (they can be rather dark for very sensitive children)

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story? The writer/artist’s perspective comes from long experience working with children of families fleeing war in the present world situation. The artwork makes the story available to a younger audience while also helping them look to life and hope in a world beyond war.  Discussion and questions can help express those fears and look to the hope of a better place for the child in the story.

Theological Conversation Partners: The theme of hope when families are uprooted and travelling to find a new home is the center of this story. The reality of losing material goods and trusting help along the way is also part of the story. The Scriptural references that come to mind with this story are also some of the hardest and most repeated themes in the Old and New Testaments. My first thought was of the family of Jesus fleeing to Egypt after his birth (Matthew 2.). The theme of journey from Passover in Genesis, to the Joseph narratives (Genesis 37-48), to a promised land of milk and honey, to fleeing again throughout the Old Testament is repeated in this story (see Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17). The opportunity to converse about what makes for life and community together in our world across cultural diversity is also an accessible theme in The Journey .  The Psalms also serve as a comfort to those finding a new home and experiencing fear and trust in God in the midst of trying times. Some Psalms to look to are: Psalm 23, 42, 46, 91, 100, 104:1-28.  All offer strength during times of trouble as well as praise for God in all the earth.

Faith Talk Questions

• What is the first picture in the story you remember?
• Have you ever moved to a new place? For a brief time, or longer time? How did it feel to go somewhere totaling new that was new to your life? Were you afraid? What carried you through that first time in a new place? (You might want to use a backpack to focus on these questions.)
• What are some way we can make a difference for people who come to our lives from other places that seem strange to us today? (This could be a good discussion when a new visitor has come to our congregation, or when a congregation is serving the homeless shelter for a week, or when visiting a food pantry.)
• When was the last time you made a new friend? What were some of the wonderful things about meeting someone new?
• What are some prayers we can offer to God when we are moving to a new place? (Look to a Psalm reference to begin, then let them voice their words calling out to God to be with them.)

This review is written by Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna and retired Christian educator Patricia Freshney McKee.

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The Journey

Free lesson plan, writing template and printable word-search puzzles for kids.

Best suited to:

Years 2 – 6

KLAs covered:

English (visual literacy, point of view), PDH (empathy), geography

• what is a refugee?
• why and how people become refugees; 
• the journey of refugees: what happens when people leave their homes and seek safety in another country;
• how it feels to leave home and become a refugee;
• the difficulties and uncertainty encountered by refugees; 
• how illustrators use colour and artistic techniques to create mood and emotion and to demonstrate relationships; 

Need to know:

• the book begins by showing the family enjoying time together at the beach, just like families the world over;
• a mother and her son and daughter flee a war in their country after the children’s father has been killed;
• the story is told through the eyes of the little girl in the form of a simple narrative;
• the family initially flees in their car, then travels by getting lifts with other people, on foot, by ferry and finally by train;
• the family is fleeing Syria, though this is not stated;
• the graphical illustrations are powerful and unusual and engaging, for older children and for adults, as well as for younger children;
• the word refugee is not mentioned in the text. Migration is mentioned on the last page;
• the this book is suggested for 3-6-year-olds but I suggest using it for children aged up to 12 and even older;
• the author explains at the end of the book that the story was inspired by her meeting in a refugee centre in Italy with two girls who had made similar journeys. She wrote the book as a t ribute to their plight and strength;

Discussion Questions (before reading):

• read the title and discuss the cover: what do you see? What do you think the story will be about? Who do you think the people on the cover are? How would you describe the illustrations and their style?
• read the author’s name and, for younger children, revise/introduce the words: author and illustrator. Why do you think there is only one name on the cover? (author and illustrator are the same);
• introduce/revise the meaning of the word chaos (complete disorder and confusion);
• introduce/revise the meaning of the words  migrating/migration; 
• introduce/revise the meaning of the word border (countries have borders with other countries; Australia does not because it’s an island);
• especially for younger children: what does the word journey mean? Does the word mean/imply a short trip or travelling for a long time?
• explain to the children that this book is based on true stories of some young refugees that the author met after they’d escaped from their country. Tell them that this kind of journey really happens;
• discuss the word refugee. What does it mean? (someone who has to leave their home because they are not safe there);

Discussion Questions (while reading):

(The numbers refer to each double-page spread).

Page 1: who is in this family? How do they feel? Why do you think might be telling the story? Why do you think the sea is draw in black? Page 9: why do you think the family are leaving things behind? Page 12: do you think the mother never feels scared? How do you think she feels in this illustration? What do you think the family will do now? Page 16: what does capsize mean? Page 20: what does migrating mean?

Discussion Questions (after reading):

• what did you think about the story? Did you like it? Why or why not?
• can you imagine having to leave your home. your friends and your country. How would you feel? What would you take?
• what do we call people who have to leave their country to find a safe place to live?
• how do you think the children felt when they had to leave their home? How do you think their mother felt? (write these emotion words on the classroom whiteboard);
• which country do you think this family is escaping from? (it’s not mentioned but the author has said it’s Syria). Show the children on the classroom’s globe the general areas where there are refugees today (Sudan, Syria/Turkey/Greece, Bangladesh/Thailand/Burma). Tell them that, sadly, there are always people fleeing their homes and becoming refugees;
• the story ends without telling us if the family find a safe life and where they go. Why do you think the author ends the story this way? Do you like this ending?
• Years 5 & 6: discuss point of view (POV). This story is told from the little girl’s point of view. How might it change if the story was told from the mother’s point of view?

Exploring Visual Literacy

This lesson can be modified for use with younger children but is best suited to children in Years 3-6.

The illustrations in this book do not simply illustrate what the words tell us. The illustrations create different moods on different pages, evoke a range of emotional responses in the reader and suggest relationships between the characters which add to the power of the story. I suggest making time to read the book a second time, focusing on the images as you read each page.

Start with the end-papers (inside the front cover), which are wonderful. What can the children see? If they don’t mention it, point out the broken white line. What does this show?

Spend time looking together at each double-page spread and ask:

• what do you see?
• why do you think the illustrator has drawn it like this/used these colours?
• how does this image make you feel?

Note the following but allow the children to make their own observations. (The numbers refer to each double-page spread).

Page 1: the sea is black. This is unusual and signifies something. Danger? Threat? Page 2: the sea has become a grasping, threatening creature with sharp claws. It destroys the family’s life and is chasing them. Page 3: the black creature has engulfed them, taken away the children’s father and made their lives black. Page 4:  a picture of the family is juxtaposed with a picture of the mother comforting her children, without the father. The black hands still threaten. Pages 5, 6 & 7:  the colours of the illustrations have changed from black/dark on the previous pages to greens and lighter colours on these pages. Does this change signal a move from danger and threat to hope and calm? Pages 8 & 9: what is happening here? Who is driving and why does that change? Why do they have to leave some thing behind? What do you notice about the colours? Page 10: why is it dark? What is a border? How does this place make you feel? Why is the family so small? Page 11:  why do you think the guard is so big and looming over the family, while the family is so small and looking up? (to emphasise the threat he poses, the power imbalance and the fear the family feels). Why are the family not allowed to cross the border? Do you think they should be allowed? Why or why not? Page 12: can you see any differences between these pictures? (the picture on the left is drawn in lighter colours and the environment seems less threatening; eyes watching and the hands in the second image imply danger). Why does the mother wait until the children are asleep to allow herself to cry? How would you feel if you were here with your mother and brother or sister? Page 13: notice the size of the border guards. Think about the fairy tales you have heard. Does anything about this illustration remind you of a fairy tale? (fairy tales are often set in forests; someone is chasing the family, there is danger). What do you think the guards want to do with the family? The family seem to be running in the direction of something or someone. What or who do you think it is? How does the illustrator make the creature blend in with the forest? Page 14:  who is the man paid by the mother? Why does she pay him? Is he good or bad? How is he drawn and why? (he is shown as a large, black monster-like creature; he is helping but he is also frightening and a possible threat); Page 15: why are the boat and the people drawn as very small? Do you think that all the people will fit in the small boat? Notice that the colour scheme is lighter and uses calmer greens. Why do you think the illustrator has chosen these colours? How does this picture make you feel? Page 16: what can you see under the sea? Again, the boat is quite small in this illustration. Why? Page 17: why are the waves and the rest of the illustration dark and the fairies bright? Why is the boat small and the waves and the fairies big? Why do they tell each other new stories? (they are beginning to feel hopeful and to look towards the future; to make themselves feel better); Page 18: where is the family? Why do you think we can only see the mother’s face? How do you think the mother feels now? (hopeful, tired). What is a lighthouse and what does it symbolise? (protection from danger, arrival, safety). Page 19: how do you think the family feels about travelling on a train, rather than a boat? How long do you think the family has been travelling for now? How do you think the family is feeling? How would you be feeling if you were in their position? The train is orange and red. Why do you think the illustrator has chosen to draw it in these colours? (they create a happy, positive mood do the colours convey? How does this illustration make you feel? Page 20: the colour scheme in this illustration is lighter and more positive with no black. Why do you think the author has drawn the family riding on the neck of a bird? 

• discuss the emotion words you wrote on the classroom whiteboard. Ask the children to draw a picture of the family and what was happening in one part of the story. Children describe what was happening and how they think the characters felt;
• children draw and/or write about their favourite part of the story;
• children write about how they felt when listening to the story and illustrate their work. What part of the story made them feel that way?  Why?
• children re-tell the story using words and/or drawings;
• children write a book review of the book, mentioning the name of the author/illustrator, summarising the story and explaining what they liked and didn’t like about it;
• sequencing activity: children retell the story using the format: First … Then … Next … Finally …
• children write about refugees. They describe what a refugee is, why people become refugees and whether they think we should help them, giving reasons for their opinions. Should we allow them to live in our country? What are some other ways we could help them?
• children  imagine they are a refugee child and write a letter to a friend about their experiences. What was their journey like? Who did they leave with? How did they feel at various times during the journey? Where are they now?
• children re-write the story from the mother’s point of view. How does she feel? children complete a book review, outlining the story, describing the characters and explaining why they liked or didn’t like the book;

Your free, printable word-search puzzles and writing template

These free, printable word-search puzzles for kids are great for building and reinforcing the vocabulary used when discussing The Journey.   They’re especially helpful for EAL/D students.

There are three different puzzles in this file to enable you to differentiate the activity according to the learning needs of your students.

Download and print our free writing template for use with the picture book The Journey   here (PDF).

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Journey by Aaron Becker Activities KS1/2 or SEN

Subject: English

Age range: 5-7

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

8 October 2017

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Thanks for the resource - very helpful and the kids loved working on it.

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Simple to use. Excellent scaffolding resource.

Good resource

thank you . Very helpful

Thank you. I've adapted this to the first person to use early in a unit of work about the voyage of the Mayflower.

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