The Day War Came

A powerful and necessary picture book – the journey of a child forced to become a refugee when war destroys everything she has ever known.

Imagine if, on an ordinary day, war came. Imagine it turned your town to rubble. Imagine going on a long and difficult journey – all alone. Imagine finding no welcome at the end of it. Then imagine a child who gives you something small but very, very precious...

When the government refused to allow 3000 child refugees to enter this country in 2016, Nicola Davies was so angry she wrote a poem. It started a campaign for which artists contributed drawings of chairs, symbolising a seat in a classroom, education, kindness, the hope of a future. The poem has become this book, movingly illustrated by Rebecca Cobb, which should prove a powerful aid for explaining the ongoing refugee crisis to younger readers.

“In a wholly different register, The Day War Came combines Nicola Davies’s simple, hard-hitting text and Rebecca Cobb’s pencil drawings to evoke the destruction of everyday reality for the youngest victims of conflict. Thought-provoking and poignant, it’s an excellent answer to the question of how to talk to children about war.” The Guardian
“The deceptively simple narrative combined with Rebecca Cobb’s evocative illustrations make this a useful tool for explaining the refugee crisis to younger readers.” Oldie
“[…] it ends on a powerful notes about the power of kindness and the potential for a better future.” Surrey Advertiser
“an incredibly powerful picture book […]. Cobb’s illustrations are both beautiful and devastating.” The Bookseller
“A tale of humanity and compassion that is worth sharing.” South Wales Evening Post

Graduating with a degree in zoology, Nicola once worked as a presenter on the television programme The Really Wild Show. Rebecca Cobb is a picture book writer and illustrator based in Cornwall. As well as her own picture books, she has illustrated works by authors including Julia Donaldson, Richard Curtis, Helen Dunmore, Nicola Davies, Katherine Woodfine and Mariesa Dulak. In 2013, Rebecca won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Picture Books with her book Lunchtime, and she has been shortlisted for the prestigious CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal three times.

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