A Child Like You
Book Details
A Child Like You
Na’ima B Robert, illus. Nadine Kaadan. Burley Gate, Herefordshire: Otter-Barry Books, hb. 978 1 9130 7417 3, 2023, £12.99, 28pp.
Picture book, 5+ years
Na’ima B Robert – and it is a joy to have a new book by her – says this is her love letter to future generations.
A powerful message is packed into a deceptively simple format, with each aspect beginning with the refrain:
Somewhere, out there,
in the wide, wide world,
a child like you is
watching
In the first section aspects of pollution, safety, representation and violence are experienced by the children, expressed in ways that can be easily understood. Emotional response is encouraged. The second section turns the refrain into a positive view, charting actions that can be taken. These are inspired by four key activists, explored in short sketches at the end of the book – Greta Thunberg (climate change), Yusra Mardini (swimmer), Marley Dias (#1000BlackGirlBooks) and Iqbal Masih (child labour and child slavery).
Nadine Kaadan’s illustrations are clear and greatly add to the narrative and the mood, giving visual explanations to enhance the meaning and the message.
The book is endorsed by Amnesty International and will be a great stimulus to child activists and their teachers.
Review by Pam Dix