The Kites are Flying! by Michael Morpurgo illustrated by Laura Carlin

I do not claim to have any expertise about the awful situation between Israel and Palestine - events which we witness daily in our media - but I am glad I found this little book which is set near the wall and explores this conflict from the point of view of a child. This book links with the ethos of IBBY and the vision of Jella Lepman and her message of peace. 

Book seller blurb: A television reporter's extraordinary experience in the West Bank reveals how children's hopes and dreams for peace and unity can fly higher than any wall built to divide communities and religions. Travelling to the West Bank to witness how life is for Palestinians and Jews living in the shadow of a dividing wall, journalist Max strikes up a friendship with an enigmatic Palestinian boy, Said. Together the two sit under an ancient olive tree while Said makes another of his kites. As Max is welcomed as a guest, he learns of the terrible events in the family's past and begins to understand why Said no longer speaks. Told from both Max's and Said's points of view, Morpurgo has created a beautiful tale of tragedy and hope with an ending that rings with joy.

This book was published in 2009. Someone purchased it. Then perhaps it sat on their shelves for over ten years. In 2024 it was donated to a charity and put out at their book sale. No one bought The Kites are Flying!. A couple of weeks ago in October 2025 I went to another charity book sale and found this book for just $3. My copy is in mint condition and has a dust jacket. This book is still available.

Here are some teachers notes from Amnesty International.

Morpurgo wrote this book in response to a series of events: a Jordanian teenager asking him to present the Palestinian side of the conflict; a kite-flying memorial to its victims on Hampstead Heath; a news story about a child being killed while flying a kite. Books for Keeps

Morpurgo's books are all underpinned by big philosophical ideas. They speak of compassion and generosity of spirit, of hope and reconciliation, and they are never less than honest. They don't duck uncomfortable truths. Most of all, they have never struck me as fearful. What they don't do, however, is allocate blame. It's quite difficult to write about the Middle East in a way that is suitable for primary school children. Current conflicts may end in different ways and truths are hidden behind propaganda from all sides. But anyone can recognise suffering and children, in my experience, genuinely want to be able to identify with the lives of their peers in other cultures and situations, no matter how distressing these lives may be. So, a book by Morpurgo, with its compassionate perspective, is always going to find the right mark. Book Bag

Other books you could look at include A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope by Michael Foreman for the very youngest readers, and A Girl Made of Dust by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi for middle readers.

Companion book:

I have now read five titles with this appealing format (small square shape and with colour illustrations by outstanding illustrators) from Walker Books but I have not been able to find a series name:

This morning I met a whale

I Believe in Unicorns

A Swallow in Winter

Captain Rosalie

The Only Branch on the Family Tree by Sherryl Clark illustrated by Astred Hicks

Gemma's teacher sets a school assignment - draw and present your family tree. Everyone seems to be able to this easily - all except Gemma. Her family is just two people. No grandparents, no dad, no siblings, no cousins. Luckily Gemma is a problem solver so she decides to make a collage of pictures of 'mum and me'.

I started with the old photos

she'd put away

in boxes

and saved on the computer.

...

I found pictures of Mum

with her mum and dad

it's awful that they're gone

'they died,' she said

but then I found one photo

on the computer

that said something different.

Gemma discovers she does have a grandmother, and that she is alive, and even more surprising she does not live very far away. 

So now as a reader you will have lots of questions:

• Why did mum tell Gemma her grandmother had died?
• Will Gemma be able to find her grandmother?
• What will her grandmother say when she meets Gemma?
• Can Gemma solve this mystery and can she be brave and confront her mum about this lie?
• And are we heading for a happy ending for this family?

As with all good verse novels there is a deep emotional layer to this story. Readers aged 9+ are sure to enjoy this book and because it is so very short it is also perfect for reluctant readers. I also think this book might hook a few kids onto reading. Congratulations to UQP on the fabulous cover design - very appealing. 

This lovely verse novel from UQP and Sherryl Clark looks at family dynamics from a different perspective – about estrangement and isolation within families, because not every family is the same. ... Whilst the book doesn’t touch on the specifics of the conflict and estrangement, I think this is what makes it so much more powerful and allows readers to see themselves in this novel, especially if they have been through similar experiences to Gemma. The Book Muse

A couple of weeks ago I read Just Like Jackie. It is such a similar story and would be a perfect companion book to read after The Only Branch of the Family Tree.

Just like Jackie

I was so excited when UQP offered to send me this new verse novel by Sherryl Clark - I am a huge fan of her work and we had a brilliant day many years ago when she visited my school. I read all of these to children in my school library over many years:

This is one of my favourite Verse Novels

I need to find a copy for my own shelves

Hope you can find this one - perfect for all girls in Grade Six

Motormouth

 Mina and the whole wide world

POST UPDATE: I just discovered another book that includes the plot point of drawing up a family tree as part of a class project. I have added this book to my own "to read" list.

Publisher blurb: It’s the first week of middle school, and Ash (don’t call her “Ashley”) already has a class assignment: Make a family tree. But how can Ash make a family tree if she doesn’t have a family? Ever since she was four years old, Ash has been in foster care, living with one so-called family after another. Now she’s stuck with Gladys. And the only place Ash feels safe is in the branches of her favorite tree, drawing in her sketchbook, hidden from the view of Gladys’ son Jordan. As Jordan becomes harder to hide from, and more dangerous to be around, Ash isn’t sure who she can trust. A new friend, an old friend, some teachers at school? Sometimes the hardest part of asking for help is knowing who to ask.

Here is the Kirkus Star review.

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown

Blurb from Bookwagon: The Wild Robot Protects concludes the wonderful series by Peter brown.  Roz the robot has made a welcome home for herself on an idyllic island dense with forests, animals and wildflowers.  She is at the centre of an island community with friendly animal inhabitants – including her own young son Brightbill the gosling. Life on the island however is under threat from the Poison Tide, first reported by a dying seal washed ashore.  He warns of dangerous, cloudy waters that are flowing towards the island, bringing new dangers for the animals.   Forced inland, the community will have no choice but to fight over scarce resources. Roz embarks on a perilous and incredible journey across the seas, aiming to protect her beloved island and all who live on it.  Along the way, she makes friends of a host of amazing sea creatures who provide inspiration but also vital information about the source of the poison tide….

Begin with this interview (20 minutes) with Peter Brown talking to Colby Sharp for The Yarn. In this 2023 interview Peter Brown talks with Books for Keeps. And Books for Keeps also talked to Peter after the publication of the first book - The Wild Robot. 

Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. Kirkus star review

This might sound strange, but I am very sad that the NSW Department of School Education have 'stolen' this text and made it the focus of one of their English units. Reading the design of the unit of work it sounds to me that any love of this first book - The Wild Robot - will be utterly crushed. I would love young readers to just find and read all three books from this series - not as part of an enforced school unit with a series of micro tasks that, to my eye, destroy any love you could have for this truly heart-warming and inventive series. At their heart these books are about relationships, the expression of emotions, the importance of forming connections with others. There is also a layer of environmental care and as humans, how we find a balance between our own survival, exploitation of the planet and the vital need for conservation of places and creatures.

I read The Wild Robot in 2018 and as I read this latest installment I wondered if it might have been good to re-read the whole series before reading this new book. The Wild Robot Protects does stand alone but I think you will enjoy this book even more if you are familiar with Ros and her island family. 

The New York Times reviewer explores the reaction of his son when he read these books:

To my son, Brown’s books were the first he discovered on his own; the first that swept him up in a lengthy, can’t-put-it-down narrative; the first to wallop him with the mix of tragedy and joy that define great art and also real life. ... The life of a wild robot, in other words, is pretty similar to the life of a kid. That’s what makes Brown’s trilogy so powerful. Readers love Roz, but they also learn from her. Even better, they learn alongside her.

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot escapes

The Seed by Isabel Pin translated by Rosemary Lanning

 

"Once upon a time - in a small, distant part of the great, wide world - there were two tribes ... "

This is such a powerful opening sentence filled with story possibilities. Now think about the names of the tribes - the Scarabs and the Chafers. Perhaps you have heard of scarab beetles but I had not heard of chafers. 

When an object falls from the sky the two tribes set out to investigate using very different methods. The Scarabs "scraped splinters from its surface and took them to their scientists who examined them with the very latest scientific instruments." The Chafers, make notes and sketches and their scholars review all their historical records to compare with this new object. Happily both groups come to the same conclusion. The object is a cherrystone. 

"There was only one problem. The cherrystone had come to rest right on the border." And so, as you will have guessed, a war begins with weapons and strategies. Years pass. Meanwhile the seed ...

I will leave you to guess the scene when the two tribes finally confront each other across their battle line. 

One day a seed drops from the sky and lands right on the border between two territories. The tribes on both sides of the border immediately claim it. ""This means war!"" their leaders declare. Both sides prepare for battle with great inventiveness, creating huge arsenals of deadly weapons, and drawing up complicated plans of attack. But ironically, in the midst of all these preparations, the seed itself is quietly providing the simple solution that the tribes, in their haste, have overlooked. Google

The Seed is of course long out of print. It was originally published with the title Der Kern in 2001.

Here are some of the illustrations - they really appeal to me.

Pin's "unusual" artwork is "filled with texture," noted School Library Journal contributor Marianne Saccardi, the critic adding that the "fantastical creatures"—part cockroach and part bee—are imaginatively rendered. Encyclopedia.com

A possible companion book would be this one:

It fell from the Sky

And if you want to read a less serious book about mysterious objects and beetles try to find this one.

Babak the Beetle

Isabel Pin is a new discovery of mine. She is an award-winning illustrator who has published more than 40 books, received numerous awards, and was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2011 and 2012. Born in France, she lives in Berlin, Germany.

The Seed is another terrific book from North South - I would love to visit a library one day, such as the International Youth Library in Munich and explore all of their titles - every book from this publisher that I have discovered is such a treasure. 

Many years ago I worked with my Grade Five students exploring Picture books on the theme of conflict resolution. Here are some of the books we explored - and I do wish I had also included The Seed.

Two Giants

Two Giants by Michael Foreman

Two giants named Sam and Boris lived in harmony on a small island enjoying sunny days and in winter the soft white snow until the day they found a single pretty shell on the beach. 

"For the first time in their lives they began to argue. And as they did the sun went behind a cloud and and cloud became bigger and blacker. ... Before they could put their shoes on, a huge wave completely covered the beach. The wave swept away the shoes and the shell. The giants were furious and threw stones at each other as they ran towards the mountains to escape the flood."

The two giants are now positioned opposite one another on the top of two mountains. Over the years their battle continues as each day they throw stones (huge boulders) at each other. Meanwhile the weather stays cold and windy in direct contrast with the past when the two were friends.

This s a simple, sweet, classic story. It’s funny and it’s silly in places, and it’s told perfectly for children. So, when rocks are being thrown it’s not in a nasty, violent way, for example, but in an over the top one. The sort of thing only giants would do. Silly giants. There’s a message, though. Of course there’s a message. This one is about friendship and making mistakes, and forgiving people. It’s about how you shouldn’t let a silly falling out ruin your relationship with someone, and about how you can make up, be friends again, and go back to the adventures you used to have. The Book Bag

Michael Foreman illustrated his first book in 1961 and as recently as 2021 he has produced his most recent book: Noa and the Little Elephant. He has been nominated twice for the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Medal. 

I saw this book for the first time yesterday. One of the library staff where I volunteer asked me if the library should keep this book - it is a book from 1967. The library copy was purchased in 2011 and it is in top condition but sadly it has only been borrowed once. I think this is a terrific book which teachers could use to talk about conflict and friendship. If you act really quickly here in Australia (June 2023) you can pick up a bargain copy of the 2015 reprint of this book with the cover above. The original cover is not as appealing and has a slightly different title - The Two Giants.

Michael Foreman books can seem simple but often explore deeper themes:

You could also look for these terrific books:

Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan

"In my mind I did this book for Syrian kids ... but when I read it here in the UK it was an amazing experience ... children are curious about what's going on ... they empathise in a beautiful way." Nadine Kaadine

"The whole idea of the book (is) how do you go out of your dark space. How do you deal with what's going on around you? ... You can do drawing and painting.  And tomorrow will be better." Nadine Kaadine

Yazan wants to play outside. He wants to go to the park. He wants to ride his bike. He wants his mum and dad to spend time with him. He wants things to back back to the way they were before.

"Now the minute (his mum) woke up she would watch the news with the volume turned up so loud."

Yazan tries to keep busy with drawing and the construction of a pillow castle but looking at his red bike his need to get outside becomes quite desperate. 

"He knew his mother would be angry if he left without her permission."

Yazan steps outside but everything is different. There are no other children playing on the street, the food vendors are gone. Yazan does not know where to go or what to do. Then his father arrives and takes him back inside. No one is cross. His mother picks up her paintbrushes and paints and the pair head into Yazan's room where she paints the park of his dreams. For now it is not safe to go outside but there is a sense of hope that one day, perhaps even tomorrow, that might change.

Tomorrow was originally written in Arabic. Lantana, the publisher do not list a translator so I am assuming that since Nadine now lives in London she may have done the translation herself. I purchased this book as part of my preparation for a library conference on the topic International Picture books. The organisers have asked me to focus on books for students aged 10-14. 

The war in Syria is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today. As of March 2020, nearly 600 thousand people have been killed or are missing as a result of the war. More than 2 million people have been injured and now live with permanent disabilities. 

More than 6.7 million people have had to leave their homes due to violence, but remain in Syria and are known as internally displaced persons. Another 6.6 million people have had to leave Syria, becoming refugees. Together, that’s more than 13.5 million people who have fled their homes. That number is more than half of Syria’s pre-war population. Since the war started, more than 1 million Syrian children have been born in neighbouring countries as refugees. Kidsboostimmunity

Tomorrow is a book you could share with a group of younger children aged 7+ but I think it could also be used as a discussion starter with an older group. You might like to use this video as a way to help your students understand a little more about the impact of the war in Syria and how it has affected the children. 

Kaadan crafts a happy ending within an active war context, no easy feat ... Kirkus

Yazan used to go to the park, he used to ride his bike, he used to paint pictures with his mother but things have changed; now his mother watches the television news with the sound turned up loud and his father makes lots of phone calls.  Simple, stark, gloomy and dark watercolor and pencil illustrations show Yazan’s empty world where he is not even allowed to go outside.  It is not safe.  There is a war on.  This is Syria and it is the present day.  As the author tells us, many Syrian children are living a life like Yazan’s, waiting and hoping for a better, happier tomorrow. Youth Services Book reviews

This story is unique in a number of ways. Instead of focusing on people fleeing their country it focuses on the experience of a boy in his home as it is besieged by war. Reading Pebbles

A book which promotes empathy and gives children a space to ask questions about the more frightening things in the world. Book Murmurmation

In this video Nadine talks about the impact of the war in Syria on her work. You can see Nadine's other books here on her website. Only two are available in English - Tomorrow and The Jasmine Sneeze.  Nadine was born in Syria but moved to the UK in 2012 when the war began. You can read more about this experience here.  In this interview, Nadine talks about the importance of book translation and the implications for publishers. You can hear Nadine read he book in Arabic and then English on this video (I suggest you begin around the 19 minute mark). 

Companion reads:

Azzi in Between

The Colour of Home

Vanishing Colors

If you are working with a group of older students you might introduce them to these middle grade novels about the war in Syria:

No Ballet Shoes in Syria

The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle

A House without Walls

Vanishing Colors by Constance Ørbeck-Nilssen and Akin Duzakin Translated by Kari Dickson

"We wait for the planes that will come.

For the bombs that will fall.

The houses that will collapse around us.

The streets are no longer streets just big, deep holes that we cannot cross."

A young girl and her mother shelter in a bombed out building. Her mother whispers the story of the bird who will protect them. While they sleep the girl hears the bird talking about the importance of good memories. The huge bird guides the girl to think about happy times with her father, in the market, watching joyous dancing in the square, fresh vegetables and fruit, the smell of lilacs and the sounds of music. She asks the bird - how can we leave when the bridges are all destroyed. The bird tells the girl to stay together, help each other and look for the rainbow.

"Then I see the rainbow ... I remember everything the bird told me. And I know that we will find a way."

Vanishing colors was originally published in Norway with the title Fargene som forsvant. This would be an excellent text to share with older primary students and it should also be added to high school library collections.

A heart-penetrating, heartbreaking book with exceptional mastery in text and illustration. Kirkus Star

Some advanced vocabulary, somber tones, and the abstract story make this most suitable as a conversation-starter about the effects of war on civilian populations, refugees, and finding hope and resilience in dire circumstances. School Library Journal

The open ending and sense of hope provided by this story reminded me of these

Vanishing Colors is one title on the USBBY Outstanding International Books List 2020. You can see some work by Akin Duzakin here. 

Here are two other books by Constance and Akin: