On the Move: Poems about Migration by Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake
Published by Candlewick Press on February 8, 2022
ISBN: 1536218103
Pages: 144
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

In this moving and emotional book of selected original poetry, author Michael Rosen takes the reader into a collection of forty-nine poems that explore themes of migration, and heart-rending words about the displacement of humans through actual elements of his childhood while living in the shadow of World War II. The author also incorporates the lives of his relatives during that war, refugees, and the push of people being removed from their homes, communities, and countries as it relates to the current displacements happening in the world today. This is a powerful book with poems starkly illustrated with black ink and mauve, blue, and black water color washes. All done by the talented Quentin Blake – an illustrator of many awards and interactions with people such as Roald Dahl and Russel Hoban. The book is organized into several chapters. Each titled separately: Family and Friends, The War, The Migrants and Me, & On the Move Again with each chapter containing 7-10 poignant and beautifully written poems. The book concludes with acknowledgements and four pages of Resources and How to Help – many of these resources focus on humans rights, rescue committees, refugee agencies, world food programs, and information on how to access charities and organizations for Holocaust Education. It is a book that speaks to the many difficulties that migrants faced then and continue to face today.
Ages 10-14

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Library