Flight
Illustrated by Armin Greder
A Helen Chamberlain Book
Windy Hollow Books
Released May 2015, $25.99
Winner: CBCA Picture Book of the Year 2016
Tonight is the night.
The family has to flee.
They've been tipped off that the authorities are after their blood.
Under the cover of darkness, a small family takes flight in search of a new home. At first it could be happening thousands of years ago, but as the travellers make their way through the wilderness, the unseen dangers are suddenly transformed into the kind of images that are only too familiar from contemporary scenes of war.
In this first-time collaboration between multi-award-winning author, Nadia Wheatley, and internationally-renowned illustrator, Armin Greder, words and images blend seamlessly to transform an ancient story into a fable for our times.
Selected Reviews
“Nadia Wheatley’s narrative steers us through one family’s perilous journey, with a text rich in both the suspense of external events and the warmth and reassurance between the adults and their child. Armin Greder’s illustrations are breathtakingly wrought in dark and sombre shades... This timely — and timeless — story has been thoughtfully realised by an inspired partnership of author and illustrator. ”
“Flight is an outstanding example of collaboration between author and illustrator. It is a timely, powerful picture book ending with a message of hope.
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“This is a very simply told narrative: the language is straightforward, allowing the gravity of a refugee story to make its impact on the reader. The illustrations provoke the feeling of the shifting desert, and the thin, desperate vision of the family. This picture book could be used with any age group to begin or further the discussion of displaced people around the world: young children should be able to grasp the narrative, and secondary students would have much to analyse for their visual media studies in the English curriculum.”