Space Travellers by Margaret Wild illustrated by Gregory Rogers

Let's imagine you cannot see the illustrations in this book. Here is the first part of this text:

Lately Zac and his mother, Mandy, have been sleeping in a rocket.

What might you assume from this?
Lately - does this mean something has changed? Why?
Sleeping in a rocket? Is this just a flight of their imagination?

Moving on into the next page:

Every evening, at sunset, Zac and Mandy climb up into the rocket, unroll their sleeping-bags, and switch on the torch. Mandy pours the milk and slices the cheese, while Zac butters the bread.

This does not sound like a fantasy story. Zac and his mum seem to be settling down to sleep in this 'rocket'? But where is this happening and why?

The rocket is in a park. We used to have these as a part of playgrounds for Australian children until they were deemed unsafe.

Image source Flickr

We're lucky to sleep in a rocket ... and Mandy tries to smile. She's all scrunched up and her neck aches and the nights are getting colder.

If readers were still not sure what is going on here I think the word scrunched really demonstrates that the mother and son are living outside - not in a real home. They are homeless.  As the story continues we read that Zac and Mandy have made friends with other homeless people. They share food and shelter.  Eventually we discover Zac and Mandy can move into a share home but their friend Dorothy continues to be homeless and while she is happy to move into their rocket, as in real life, it is clear this is not a solution to her homelessness.

This is amazing book which, though sadly out of print, should be found in many Australian school libraries. Reading this book with a group of older students should generate a lot of very deep discussion.

The social-issue subtext here is subtly hidden in the details; the focus is on the humanity of Zac and his mother. Kirkus

This unusual picture book, a portrait of an urban homeless community, features a loving mother and son whose only misfortune is to be socially displaced. Publisher’s Weekly


I would pair this book with these titles:

The Old Man

An older student should read Paper Things.