". . . a wonderful teaching tool for those who are welcoming refugees into their community."— The New York Times With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape the turmoil and tragedy brought by war. This book will stay with you long after the last page is turned. From the author: The Journey is actually a story about many journeys, and it began with the story of two girls I met in a refugee center in Italy. After meeting them I realized that behind their journey lay something very powerful. So I began collecting more stories of migration and interviewing many people from many different countries. A few months later, in September 2014, when I started studying a Master of Arts in Illustration at the Academy of Lucerne, I knew I wanted to create a book about these true stories. Almost every day on the news we hear the terms "migrants" and "refugees" but we rarely ever speak to or hear the personal journeys that they have had to take. This book is a collage of all those personal stories and the incredible strength of the people within them. Winner of the 2017 Ezra Jack Keats New Author Honor and New Illustrator Honor Awards! SELECTED AS AN ALSC NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2017 SELECTED FOR THE 2017 USBBY OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BOOKS LIST INCLUDED IN CCBC CHOICES 2017 A The New York Times ' NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK OF 2016THE A WALL STREET JOURNAL'S BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2016 A Publisher’s Weekly 'S BEST BOOKS OF 2016 A Kirkus Reviews ' BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2016 A School Library Journal 'S BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2016 A GUARDIAN'S BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2016 A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY'S BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS 2016 AN ALL THE WONDERS' BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2016 A LET'S TALK PICTURE BOOKS' BEST PICTURE BOOKS OF 2016 A CHICKADEE LIT'S PICTURE BOOKS TO CELEBRATE KINDNESS ONE OF BOOKTRUST'S “100 BEST BOOKS FROM THE LAST 100 YEARS” FEATURED ON TIKTOK BY @THEQUEERMAMA, >1.1m VIEWS, "A BEAUTIFUL BOOK" "We cannot imagine a better way to introduce children ages 5 - 7 to the piercing realities of becoming a refugee. We wish that this book was required reading for every single official making decisions that affect migrants."— Spirituality and Practice "Given the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe and immigration debates in the U.S. and abroad, Sanna’s story is well poised to spark necessary conversations about the costs of war." — Publisher’s Weekly , STARRED REVIEW "Simultaneously heartbreaking, scary, and brightly hopeful, this timely tale with simply captivating artwork will spur little ones to ask questions that lack easy answers." — Booklist , STARRED REVIEW "A necessary, artful, and searing story." — Kirkus Reviews , STARRED REVIEW "Gorgeously stylized, spare and powerful" — Shelf Awareness , STARRED REVIEW "The crisp blend of realistic and fantastical illustrations in Sanna’s debut picture book impart as much content and emotional depth as its carefully woven text narrated by an anonymous child. […] Based on a compilation of immigrant interviews, this selection is timely and beautiful, appropriate for use with young children given the continuing situation of refugees around the world made particularly visible in recent years." — School Library Journal , STARRED REVIEW "Sanna’s stylized illustrations, with gargantuan villains and swirling inky black, are both captivating and unsettling." — The Horn Book , STARRED REVIEW "[Francesca Sanna’s artwork] is both realistic and fantastical, done in a striking, graphic style. "The Journey" will be a wonderful teaching tool for those who are welcoming refugees into their community. For those who have escaped war, this book might prompt them to share their own stories." — The New York Times "The anguish of a family seeking refuge from war and trying to reach safer shores unfurls with heartbreaking directness in The Journey, a beautiful picture book by Francesca Sanna." —Wall Street Journal "The Journey offers a beautiful message to readers — young and old alike — about the difficulties of finding a new home, and the value of welcoming strangers once they arrive." — The Washington Post "A book that explores the heart wrenching need to abandon one's home amid war." —Associated Press "startling, poignant […] It’s a story that has lingered in my mind since I first read it, and I think it will be there a long while." —Julie Danielson for Kirkus Reviews "Through beautiful and powerful illustrations, The Journey vividly explores the universal story of all those who have had to leave behind the place and people they love." — The Guardian , The Best Children's Books of 2016 "[The Journey] is a brightly colored and beautifully illustrated tale on a dark and frightening topic. […] The contrasting pictures and words are likely to inspire conversation, asking children and adults alike to discuss the topic of conflict