Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by thelibraryofethos
No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton
5.0
I love this book. I am going to be telling people to read this book for years to come, I just know it.
Possible idea for improvement? A GLOSSARY. I am a huge fan of helpful glossaries, and I would really have liked an illustrated glossery explaining the ballet terms. Also, the Syrian words. And the terms used to describe refugees throughout the book (asylum seekers, I can't remember now but I know there was other interesting lingo too). Okay, maybe this book needs 3 separate glossaries. I just think it would add that extra informative layer.
Let's get into all the wonderful things about this novel, shall we?
This is a beautiful, simple children's book about the Syrian refugee crisis. Also, ballerinas.
Aya is new to England - she's only been in Manchester for 3 weeks with her Mumma and her little brother, Moosa. She's come because her homeland, Syria, is currently torn apart by war and it's not safe for her family to live there anymore.
This book is beautiful.
It tells this incredibly delicate story with such sensitivity, such gentleness. Yet it never diminishes the importance of the story being told. It's a blend of Aya's ongoing present story, with flashbacks to things she has already experienced expertly woven in.
The story it follows is very current. The Syrian refugee crisis is happening RIGHT NOW. But also, this book takes the opportunity to delve into the not-so-distant past to find other examples of refugees - things which the reader may or may not already be familiar with. I feel thoroughly educated after reading this book. I had never realised quite what went on - what is STILL going on - in Syria.
Yes, the contents of this book are shocking. But also, portrayed in such a way that children will be able to comprehend and cope with the information. Catherine Bruton has managed to make this a hopeful story focused on the future, even though it encompasses so much pain of the past and the present.
I really enjoyed reading the Afterword at the end. The author explained there how she grew up addicted to books that made you focus on your dreams, etc, but as she got older she realised the value of books that broaden your mindset. The type of books that encourage empathy towards those who have experienced trials you personally know nothing of. So when she wrote this book, she intended to blend those two themes together.
I think she has done the most wonderful job.
Possible idea for improvement? A GLOSSARY. I am a huge fan of helpful glossaries, and I would really have liked an illustrated glossery explaining the ballet terms. Also, the Syrian words. And the terms used to describe refugees throughout the book (asylum seekers, I can't remember now but I know there was other interesting lingo too). Okay, maybe this book needs 3 separate glossaries. I just think it would add that extra informative layer.
Let's get into all the wonderful things about this novel, shall we?
This is a beautiful, simple children's book about the Syrian refugee crisis. Also, ballerinas.
Aya is new to England - she's only been in Manchester for 3 weeks with her Mumma and her little brother, Moosa. She's come because her homeland, Syria, is currently torn apart by war and it's not safe for her family to live there anymore.
This book is beautiful.
It tells this incredibly delicate story with such sensitivity, such gentleness. Yet it never diminishes the importance of the story being told. It's a blend of Aya's ongoing present story, with flashbacks to things she has already experienced expertly woven in.
The story it follows is very current. The Syrian refugee crisis is happening RIGHT NOW. But also, this book takes the opportunity to delve into the not-so-distant past to find other examples of refugees - things which the reader may or may not already be familiar with. I feel thoroughly educated after reading this book. I had never realised quite what went on - what is STILL going on - in Syria.
Yes, the contents of this book are shocking. But also, portrayed in such a way that children will be able to comprehend and cope with the information. Catherine Bruton has managed to make this a hopeful story focused on the future, even though it encompasses so much pain of the past and the present.
I really enjoyed reading the Afterword at the end. The author explained there how she grew up addicted to books that made you focus on your dreams, etc, but as she got older she realised the value of books that broaden your mindset. The type of books that encourage empathy towards those who have experienced trials you personally know nothing of. So when she wrote this book, she intended to blend those two themes together.
I think she has done the most wonderful job.