What is it like to live in constant danger, when being late home might get you attacked or even killed? How does it feel when eating enough is a rare luxury? The stories in Donkeys can’t fly on planes are not morbid, although the sadness in some pierced my heart.
Children in western countries might know what it is like to have a beloved pet and go to the dentist or doctor, but what if your pet is a donkey that you have to leave behind? And what if the only doctor around lives on the other side of a fast flowing river and your mother is dying?
Some children are forced to travel alone to freedom, leaving everything and everyone behind. Can anyone who has not been through this really imagine what it is like? Children have a way of telling life how it is without the frills. Even though they are now safe with new friends in Australia, these young storytellers still worry about those left behind and miss the wonderful parts of the land and life into which they were born.
The stories and detailed collages throb with the colour and flavour of these children’s unnamed emotions.
Donkeys can’t fly on planes will be a permanent treasure on many bookshelves. Not only that, the proceeds of all sales will support the Bor Orphanage and Community Education Project set up in Southern Sudan to help children at risk. Visit the Bor Ophanage and Community Education Project website to purchase a copy. You won’t regret it.
Title: Donkeys can’t fly on planes
Authors: South Sudanese refugee children living in Australia
Publisher: Kids’ Own Publishing, $20 RRP
Publication Date: August 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780987429032
For ages: 7+
Type: Short Stories
