Refuge, by Anne Booth and Sam Usher, in The Times and The Sunday Times - Nosy Crow Skip to content
Posted by Tom, December 8, 2015

Refuge, by Anne Booth and Sam Usher, in The Times and The Sunday Times

It’s just under month since the publication of Refuge, written by Anne Booth and illustrated by Sam Usher, our Christmas charity book raising money for War Child, and we have been absolutely overwhelmed by the response to the book so far.

Over the weekend, Refuge was reviewed by both The Times and The Sunday Times. On Saturday, Alex O’Connell included the book in The Times’ list of the best children’s books of 2015, writing:

“Sam Usher’s charming, mostly monochrome illustrations use splashes of colour to convey warmth and hope. It concludes with a tableau of the refugees and their hosts tucking into a hearty dinner, a dinner from the heart. An excellent way to help children make sense of what they are seeing on the news every day.”

You can read the full review here.

And on Sunday, Nicolette Jones included Refuge in her round-up of children’s books of the year for The Sunday Times, writing:

“The nativity and the flight into Egypt, as simply recounted by Anne Booth and tenderly drawn in line and wash by Sam Usher, connect with the plight of modern refugees, in Refuge … A stocking filler about Christmas that fulfils its spirit.”

You can read Nicolette’s full review here.

Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell has called Refuge “an important Christmas book,” and “a book to share with a lump in your throat and an ache in your heart until the beauty and hope of the very last page”. You can take a look inside the book below:

Although Refuge has now sold out in many places, you can still buy the book from Waterstones, online and in store: £5 from the sale of every copy will go directly to War Child. Here’s the story behind Refuge, and here’s our publication day blogpost for the book.

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