Where Will I Live? by Rosemary McCarney

Just as she did with her earlier books, Dear Malala, We Stand with You and The Way to School, Rosemary McCarney, the Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, has authored another photo-essay, this time bringing to light the terrible refugee situation in the world today in a very age appropriate way.

Answering the question "where do you go if your home is no longer safe?" McCarney begins her book with a photo of a family fleeing their home in the middle of the night with the caption "Sometimes scary thing happen to good people." Using this as her starting point, and with minimal text on each page, she takes the reader on a journey through countries that are involved in wars, conflicts, terrorism or are dealing with natural disasters, and the families who have become displaced by these events. Some ride, some walk, some run from the danger and terror they suddenly find themselves in, carrying whatever they can, but leaving most of not just their belongings but their homes behind.

In the midst of these fleeing families are the children on whose faces one can clearly see their common question "But where will I live?" From Rwanda to Hungary, from Greece to Lebanon and Kenya, the children live in tent cities, wondering and hoping to find someplace where they and their family will be welcomed and to be able to feel safe again.

To someone with a safe home and intact family, it is hard to imagine life as a refugee, yet the stunning photographs in this book really brings home to young readers just how difficult, scary, and perilous seeking safety can be. And yet, these are resilient children who can still manage to make some fun for themselves, still make friends, and amazingly, still play and smile.

The stunningly revealing photographs shown on each page were taken by a variety of artists (each listed on the back page) and provided to McCarney by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (or UNHCR), and, it should be noted, that proceeds from the purchase of this book will be donated to refugee children's programs around the world.

Where Will I Live? is an excellent book for introducing children to the problems faced by refugees in the world today, and it should certainly generate some lively discussions, not to mention inspiring them to find ways in which they can help. Pair this poignant non-fiction photo-essay with any of the equally excellent fictional accounts of refugees for a richly comprehensive unit on refugees today. You can find some excellent suggestions from Today's Parent HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was sent to me by the publisher