“THE RULES OF THE GAME
ARE SIMPLE.
AVOID THE MONSTERS.
DON’T GET CAUGHT.
AND KEEP MOVING.”

Can you imagine
How frightened you must be
To send your children
On a journey alone
To find somewhere
They can be free?

Can you imagine
How much danger you must be in
To send your children
On a perilous journey
To find someone
Who can offer them a home?

Can you imagine
The pain and heartbreak
To watch them go
Knowing that you
Can no longer keep them safe?

Can you imagine the
Living nightmare
Of not knowing
If they have made it or not?

Can you even begin to imagine?

This book has broken me
It has stopped me in my tracks
And made me ask
What can I do?
What can I do to help
The families
The children
Fleeing their homes
And embarking on
Unimaginable journeys
Searching for a place of safety
Fighting monsters along the way
Overcoming obstacles
Only to find the refuge
That they seek
Is not available to them
To discover that having made
Unthinkable sacrifices
Shown incredible bravery
Having never stopped trying
To reach the border
To cross the line
They are turned away
Here in Britain
We are turning away
Children
Who have no place
To call home
Who have nowhere
They feel safe
Have no one to
Look after them
We are sending them away

To The Other Side
Is a breathtakingly brilliant book
With beautiful powerful illustrations
This is the story
Of a young boy
And his older sister
Sent away in search of safety

The older sister
Tells her brother
It is a game
To win
She tells him
They must travel
Across endless lands
Together
And make it to
The finish line

Through the stunning pages of this book
We travel with the children
As they show incredible courage
And remarkable resilience
On their journey
Seeking refuge

The love between the two siblings
And the imaginative way
The sister turns their dangerous journey
Into a game
Shows how clever and creative
Children can be
In the face of unthinkable adversity
Together the children are strong
Together the children feel safe
They never give up hope
Of finding a new home

With one as brave as a tiger
And the other fast like a rabbit
They face their fears
And continue with their game
Until finally they reach the line
But even then the monsters
Are all around them

This book cleverly uses monsters
To show the dangers families
Are facing in their homes
The dangers they are escaping
It uses monsters to show
The peril of the journey
The dangers the children face
The people they meet
The situations they find themselves in
And sadly the monsters
Who receive them just as they think
They might be safe

I love the use of colour in this book
The black monsters
Against the dark shadows of the world
And the bright colours of the children
Who through the toughest of times
See the light
Find the hope
And make their way through
Together

This book
Needs to be placed in the hands
Of every politician
It needs to be in every classroom
In every library and home
And we need to talk to
Our children
About what this means
About what is happening
To children around the world
Who have no choice
But to flee their homes
Because it is too dangerous
For them to stay

To the Other Side
Provides an excellent opportunity
For young readers to learn
About the experiences of refugees
The perilous journeys they make
To escape conflict and war
And develop empathy
For those who have been forced to leave their homes
To find safety

It is also the perfect way
To talk to children
About the actions
Of our government
Because they can be
Part of the change
This country needs
Our children need to know
That …

Here in Britain
We are turning away
Children
Just like them
Who have no place
To call home
Who have nowhere
They feel safe
Have no one to
Look after them
We are sending them away

My review does not do this
Brilliant and beautiful book justice
This story full of love and hope
Empathy and joy
I urge you to seek it out
And read it for yourself
Then share it with everyone
That you know

“Migrants and refugees are often portrayed as either heroes or villains: and yet, the children I was lucky to meet when working on this book were simply that: children. They liked pandas, dreamed of seeing a snowfall, wondered whom to gift a special doll to, and tried to help their parents with their younger siblings. Whatever their paths, whatever the monsters chasing them from their homes, they deserve to have the same choice I had: to cross an invisible line and, quite simply, be allowed to grow roots again, in a place of their choosing, where they finally feel safe.”
Erika Meza