Higher Ground by Tull Suwannakit

You will need to set aside some time to read this intriguing book. The story begins with an enormous flood. Two children and their grandmother (and pet rabbit) are left stranded. No one is coming to help but the grandmother has years of wisdom and she knows how to use their scarce supplies to survive. She shows the children how to plant seeds to grow food, how to gather water, build a shelter, how to catch and prepare fish, how to use fire for cooking and warmth and most of all she gives the children hope. For nearly 200 days the group survive but the grandmother is growing frail. We watch the seasons change and we see their daily activities through a series of wordless spreads. Eventually the children decide to build a raft. This is the part that broke my heart - the children set off to find other people and they leave their grandmother behind. She tells the children she cannot make the journey, she needs to stay behind and tend their garden but they should know she will always be with them in their hearts.

I expect to see this book listed for many 2026 awards - and it is sure to be a CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) notable in the Younger Readers category. The presentation of this book is just beautiful - hardcover and with a very appealing size and book design. 

Publisher blurb: After a great flood swallows their city, a wise grandmother, her two grandchildren, and their pet rabbit find themselves stranded on the only safe place left—the rooftop of their home. With nothing but their small garden and a handful of supplies, they must learn to survive in a world where the familiar streets have turned to endless water. Days turn into weeks, and weeks into months, as they face hunger, storms, and the uncertainty of what lies beyond the horizon. But through each hardship, the grandmother shares words of wisdom, teaching her grandchildren the power of resilience, kindness, and hope. As their garden grows, so too does their belief that even in the darkest times, life finds a way forward. Higher Ground serves as both a warning and a call to action for future generations, urging readers to honor and protect the environment before it’s too late. Told through beautifully illustrated panels, this dystopian middle-grade graphic novel is a powerful meditation on survival, family, and the delicate balance between humanity and nature.

Here are some brief teachers notes from the publisher. 

It is my hope that Higher Ground will encourage young readers to reflect on their own connections to nature, the importance of family values, and the fragile world around them. In a world that is constantly changing, these qualities are more important than ever. Perhaps the story’s central themes of hope, growth and resilience, could offer readers a meaningful outlook to a more empathetic world we live in. Tull Suwannakit (Federation of Children's Book Groups)

I am not a fan of endorsements (as you may know) but there are some interesting names here:

Image source: Tull Suwannakit

Tull Suwannakit talks about his work here. 

Higher Ground is highly visual, with 14 short chapters, and plenty of light and shade in both story and pictures, making it difficult to ascribe to an ideal reader. It is pitched for ages 5+, but this is the sort of immersive, cross-genre, layered storytelling that will captivate readers of many ages, in many different ways. Storylinks

Here is a detailed and insightful interview with Joy Lawn at Paperbark Words. Here is a review from The Bottom Shelf. 

Embracing such themes as home, belonging, loss, grief, refugees, self-sufficiency and the consequences of climate change, this is a book that deserves to be widely read at home and in classrooms. Red Reading Hub

In this age of global warming and climate change books there are many books now that explore the consequences of catastrophic flooding. 

Please try to find this book to read after (or before) High Ground. 

Water, Water

And for older readers I highly recommend this book:

Across the Risen Sea

Other books I have talked about here by Tull Suwannakit:

Happy Hoppy Home

Heart and Soul

Stitched Up by Steve Cole

Hanh is sold by her parents to two strangers who offer her a good job as a shop assistant in distant Hanoi. She and other girls from her village are taken to the city but that's when all the promises are broken. They are locked inside a factory, fed only rice, they are only allowed to use the bathroom twice a day, and all of them are forced to work in very dangerous factory conditions manufacturing jeans for the fast fashion industry. Perfectly good denim is distressed by sandblasting. Fabrics are dropped into vats of dangerous chemicals. Machines are used to press creases into the legs of the pants. And embellishments are added by machine and by hand. The young overseer girl wields a stick and she beats any child who does not perform their tasks quickly. Quotas, money and greed drive this industry. Reading this book will most certainly make you reconsider that next purchase of fast fashion.

The story does have a resolution but clearly Hanh will be damaged for the rest of her life and her parents suffer from the most dreadful guilt. They never did receive the promised money. In this book you can read about modern slavery and organisations who are working to rescue children like Hanh and her friends. There is also an afterword about ways to avoid fast fashion. I had no idea 8,000 litres of water are used to make one pair of jeans 

This book is from the Barrington Stoke (Dyslexia friendly) book series. They produce books for all ages and this one is most certainly a Young Adult title for mature readers aged 12+.

You're going to read about the processes which go into the manufacture of garments such as the jeans. They're complex and require a great deal of skill. Hanh and the other girls get just two poor meals a day and are allowed only two toilet breaks. Violence is commonplace - and vicious. No account is taken of any illnesses or injuries: the girls are, after all, expendable. It's a dreadful situation but Steve Coles tells the story with sensitivity and compassion but still manages not to shy away from the brutal truth about why fast-fashion clothes are so cheap. BookBag

Children who are passionate about social justice are sure to devour this book. Scope for Imagination

In the context of a High School this book could be used in many different ways. If your school runs a social justice program this book explores modern slavery. This book is also about textile manufacturing and in particular 'trendy' jeans with distressed fabrics, rips and tears and embellishments and so it could be used in Design and Tech. If you have a group of students exploring the UN Rights of the child this book could be added to a wide reading list.

Here are all the titles in this series by Steve Cole:

I would pair Stitched up with these books:

Amal Unbound

Ruby's Repair Cafe by Michelle Worthington illustrated by Zoe Bennett

Ruby loves to repair things and her family have a repair store. People bring broken toasters, kettles, radios, guitars, crockery and more. Things do not need to be thrown away - they can be repaired. BUT a new store opens right next door. It is the BIGG Department store. Over time (this is not shown in the story) everyone changes their shopping habits and eventually (we know this took some months not just one day) the Repair Cafe is forced to close down. Everyone wants new shiny things but in an interesting twist or perhaps an expected consquence, the town dump begins to fill up with "broken bits, old clothes and random rubbish. The stinky smell wafted on the wind."

One night there is a huge storm. The roof blows off the BIGG Department store and most of his stock is ruined. Luckily Ruby is a girl who loves to solve problems and she is an expert at repairs!

The end papers in this book are perfect. Here are some very simple teachers notes - I am sure you could think of deeper questions for your class. My only tiny quibble with this book comes from disparity between the important environmental sustainability message in this story and the use of children to run the repair shop and children who help restore the shops after the storm. Ruby is a child perhaps aged around ten and Mr Bigg is a young adult or a young man aged around twenty. We do see Ruby's parents and grandparents in their repair store but Ruby herself seems to be the main worker?

This book will be a good addition to your library or classroom because it will generate some terrific discussions about our disposable society, the role of garbage dumps, urban renewal, town planning, small suburban shopping strips, and community co-operation. There is also a layer here of the big corporation versus the small local business. ALL of that in a book aimed at readers aged 7+ - I hope you are amazed. Here is the website for the illustrator Zoe Bennett. You can see other books by Michelle Worthington here. Many years ago, two of her books were CBCA Notable titles (Glitch and The World's worst Pirate). 

Companion books:

The Fixer of broken things

Read more about this book here (published March, 2024)

Sustainable Development Goals United Nations (sharing page)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which 

you can use to change the world”. Nelson Mandela

Do not think and feel that you have to rescue the world on your own! Rather join us and many other teachers from around the world, in this large-scale cooperative endeavour.  (IAU Teaching the Goals)

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the world’s shared plan to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet by 2030.  Adopted by 193 countries in 2015, the SDGs emerged from the most inclusive and comprehensive negotiations in UN history and have inspired people from across sectors, geographies, and cultures. Achieving the goals by 2030 will require heroic and imaginative effort, determination to learn about what works, and agility to adapt to new information and changing trends. UN Foundation

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has worked all through January 2021 compiling resources for her students, their parents and the teachers in her school which explore each of the Sustainability Development Goals. I have her permission to share this work here. Her focus is on children from Kindergarten to Grade 2 but many of these resources will work equally well with older grades right up to High School. 

This is a fabulous, rich and comprehensive resource which will save you hours of work.  Here are links to each of her posts (click on the goal) and links to her Pinterest Picture book collections for each goal.  I have added a cover images to spark your curiosity. Many of these book have been discussed here on my blog. You can jump around through the goals but I suggest you should begin with Goal One to read an overview of this project. 

Goal 1: No Poverty  Pinterest SDG 1

Goal 2: Zero Hunger  Pinterest SDG 2

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being  Pinterest SDG 3

Goal 4: Quality Education  Pinterest SDG 4

Goal 5: Gender Equality  Pinterest SDG 5

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation  Pinterest SDG 6

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy  Pinterest SDG 7

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth  Pinterest SDG 8

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure  Pinterest SDG 9

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities  Pinterest SDG 10

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities  Pinterest SDG 11

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production  

Pinterest SDG 12

Goal 13: Climate Action  Pinterest SDG 13

Goal 14: Life below Water  Pinterest SDG 14

Goal 15: Life on Land  Pinterest SDG 15

Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions  Pinterest SDG 16

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals  Pinterest SDG 17

Final Word - further professional resources for teachers.

Sustainable Development Goals Target 4.7

By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.

I found these videos which might be useful to view with Primary groups:

Video Link - EarthAgain Goals 5-17 (one video for each goal)

If you do plan to explore the goals with a class I would begin with this comprehensive document which contains rich teaching ideas and scenarios you can use for each goal. TEACHING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

It is interesting to think about the development of these goals.  I used to talk to my students about The Millennium Development Goals. There were eight of them which were framed in 2000 with the target of 2015. Obviously more time has passed and I don't think we reached all, or any, of those goals. It is time to refocus. 

I do hope you can talk to your students about the Sustainable Development Goals. As the posts above demonstrate you can do this with your youngest children in Kindergarten right through to the end of High School. AND I hope you can see that Picture Books are a perfect way to explore each goal. 

Here is a resource filled with powerful statistics to use with older students. If you work in a NSW Government School you might like to check this resource for Grades 5-12. 

Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman

Watch this book talk by Colby Sharp. He uses the word - Breathtaking - I agree!

Carl and the Meaning of Life is a book about the interconnections of life on earth. Beneath the surface (yes Carl lives beneath the surface) you get a sense that a huge amount of scientific research went into the writing of this book but it is presented with such a light touch that it is only after reading about the role of Carl in our ecosystems that you marvel at what you have just learnt or discovered. This is a book that seems so simple but the meaning is so big. Carl is also a book about discovering yourself and your purpose.

Carl is not a bird, or a bear, or a beaver - he is an earthworm. He is happy with his life of burrowing, tunneling, digesting, feasting and casting turning hard dirt into fluffy soil until one day a field mouse asks a question. This question sounds innocent enough - why?

"Why?
Carl did not know why.
But now he needed to find out.
So Carl stopped making fluffy soil."

Do you remember Tenrec?

Carl, like Tenrec, sets off to find an answer. He asks every animal he meets:

"Why do I do what I do?"

He asks a rabbit, a fox, a squirrel and many others. His journey takes many days and the days turn into months. The ground becomes hard and barren. Nothing will grow. The birds fly away and the animals move on. Wandering through this now desolate land Carl meets a ground beetle. The ground beetle cannot find any grubs. That is when Carl notices the land is hard - there is no fluffy soil. Carl sets to work again munching, digesting, casting and tunneling to make the soil fluffy again. Over time the landscape is transformed above and below the surface. Balance has been restored.

The final page of this book has a quote about worms from Charles Darwin:
"It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organised creatures."

I would link Carl and the Meaning of Life with Leaf, Stone, Beetle by Ursula Dubosarsky. I would also compare this book with The Tin Forest by Helen Ward, Joseph's Yard by Charles Keeping and Cat on the Island by Gary Crew. If you want to extend your study of worms take a look at The Worm by Elise Gravel.

I was interested to read an interview with Deborah Freedman by The Children's Book Review. In this interview Deborah was asked about her own favourite illustrators and so I went off to explore her list. There are so many international names here. I read a review by Betsy Bird (Mr Noggibody gets a hammer by David Shannon) just today where she said US parents are not keen to buy books with different illustration styles. Looking at the list of illustrators mentioned by Deborah Freedman, who comes from Connecticut, I have some hope that books from around the world are reaching the US. In addition to the illustrators I have put here (one book cover from each) Deborah also mentioned John Burningham and Lizbeth Zwerger whose books you may already know.

 Anne Herbauts from Belguim

 Ayano Imai from Japan

 Beatrice Alemagna from Italy now lives in Paris

On my blog: What is a child?

 Byran Collier from USA

 Kveta Pacovska Czech Artist

 Maira Kalman born in Israel lives in USA

Marije Tolman Dutch illustrator

On my blog: Wolf and Dog

Nasrin Khosravi from Iran

On my blog another book by Uma Krishnaswami The Book Uncle and Me

You can listen to an with Deborah interview at The Yarn with Colby Sharp. Huge thanks to the library staff who alerted me to this wonderful book. Carl and the Meaning of Life was published in April 2019.

Here are two review comments about Carl and the Meaning of Life:

Freedman wraps up her story with a light touch, leaving it to readers to deduce the role of an earthworm in maintaining ecological balance. Horn Book

Freedman takes one worm’s curiosity about why he does things and cleverly transforms it into a look at the interconnected roles of animals and worms on the habitat they live in. Waking Brain Cells

The Tin Forest by Helen Ward illustrated by Wayne Anderson

The Tin Forest is a wonderful book first published in Australia in 2003. Here is some good news this book is still available. I am not sure why it has taken me so long to talk about it here but last week I visited a very small rural school and took The Tin Forest along to share with them. This tiny school is part of a group of small schools and each term they work on a joint topic which this term is sustainability. The Tin Forest is an ideal book to explore this topic.  I sat down today and read it again and knew I just had to talk about it here.

Why do I love this book?

1.  Language
"There was once a wide, windswept place
near nowhere and close to forgotten."
I love these poetic words which are repeated at the beginning and end of the text.

Alliteration
sifting and sorting
burning and burying
toucans, tree frogs and tigers

Take a look at these detailed teaching ideas.

2.  Work ethic and hope
Each day the old man clears up the rubbish. He does not become disheartened. He has a dream which leads to an idea which plants itself inside his head. With the help of some birds who come to eat crumbs, left from his sandwiches, we see a spectacular transformation of this neglected and unwanted place.

3.  Illustrations
The grey used at the start of the book shows a desolate and metallic environment. The subtle colour palette in this book allows the reader to anticipate the brilliant colour when the real garden takes over the rubbish dump.  The early pages have little spotlights of colour. The light is yellow inside the man's home, outside we see yellow light globes which look like flowers, a yellow toucan beak, bright red flowers that sprout from seeds dropped by the birds and finally a page filled with all the colours. Take a look at Wayne Anderson's web pages.

4.  Stage Production and more formats
I was excited to discover a stage production of this book from 2014 and it is on again soon. I think that demonstrates it impact and importance of this story. Here is a wonderful animated film made by students from Cincinnati.  You may even be able to find the edition which came with a story CD.

Helen Ward is an author and illustrator. You can see some of here work here.

This fantasy conveys a message all the more inspiring for its understatement: one individual who dares to dream can make a world of difference. Publishers Weekly

I like to link this book with these titles: