STEPPING STONES: A REFUGEE FAMILY'S JOUR: A Refugee Family's Journey / رحلة عائلة لاجئة - Hardcover

"Brilliant and beautiful and inspiring. A book that should be read with every child in the world! An instant classic as solid as the stones on which it is based!"--Eric Walters, award-winning author and member of the Order of Canada

"Ruurs writes purely and warmly, with the text set in both English and Raheem's Arabic translation...She deftly conveys the happiness of peaceful childhood, then the confusion and the fears born of war and migration, and the relief and curiosity of arriving at a new home...Each illustration is masterful, with Badr's placement of stones as careful as brush strokes, creating figures positioned to tell the whole story without the benefit of facial expressions...An astonishing book that allows the humanity of refugees to speak louder than politics and introduces readers to one of Syria's incredible artists."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"It's exquisite! One can only pray that its message will spread and make the difference we need."--Mem Fox, award-winning and internationally bestselling children's book author

"Stunning, original artwork both childlike and sophisticated; a text that will both break and mend your heart."--Jane Yolen, award-winning author of Devil's Arithmetic and The Stone Angel.

"Readers will be fascinated by the stone-collage illustrations created by Syrian artist Badr, who arranges expressive tableaux of people formed entirely of rocks and pebbles...A unique offering that will open eyes and soften hearts."--Booklist

"This is an amazing book!! Every teacher should own one."--Jennifer Maruno, former school principal, Peel District School Board

"Ruurs' beautiful words are twinned with the most stunning artwork by Nizar Ali Badr...I could not but be moved by Badr's work, as it is unlike anything else I have ever seen and conveys so much emotion. I hope this beautiful book will reach the shelves of classrooms, libraries and homes throughout the world and be read and shared many times over."--Canadian Children's Book News

"[An] excellent book that will help young readers understand what is happening to the children they see on TV. I can't recommend [Stepping Stones] highly enough."--The Children's War blog

A gateway to discussing refugees and immigration with America's youngest citizens...Teaching kids empathy—this is where it starts.--New York Magazine

"This picture book is special, in many ways. Firstly, the verbal text is well worked and beautifully written. It is compassionate and warm. The English is accompanied by Arabic, making this a dual language text, sought after in public libraries. The illustrations are amazingly authentic...The pictures emanate expression and feeling, astounding from such inanimate objects as stones...the world is a lot better for it. This book, although initially intended for children, is for a global, all ages audience. It is a must for public library and more suitable for school libraries. "--The Children's Book Council of Australia, Reading Time

This unique picture book was inspired by the stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr, discovered by chance by Canadian children’s writer Margriet Ruurs. The author was immediately impressed by the strong narrative quality of Mr. Badr’s work, and, using many of Mr. Badr’s already-created pieces, she set out to create a story about the Syrian refugee crisis. Stepping Stones tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home. With only what they can carry on their backs, Rama and her mother, father, grandfather and brother, Sami, set out to walk to freedom in Europe. Nizar Ali Badr’s stunning stone images illustrate the story.

Orca Book Publishers is pleased to offer this book as a dual-language (English and Arabic) edition.