It offers an arresting juxtaposition with the contents, narrative, and dialogue of the story itself, in which the word “illegal” is never again used so explicitly after the epigraph. The single word title, set off-center, to the far right of the cover and presented in a bold yellow that strikingly contrasts with the darkness of the rest of the imagery, is weighty. Colfer and Donkin thus start this story with a subtle yet direct piece of commentary on this problem. Despite this coverage, the stigma surrounding refugees as different, other, and dangerous remains, in large part due to their use as political talking points. We have been exposed to news of their exodus from war-torn places and destabilized economies, of their horrific interactions with smugglers, their difficult journeys across deadly terrains, and the hostility rather than welcoming faced in the countries where asylum is sought. In a world ravaged by greed and war, it can be easy to lose sight of the humanity of those from different cultures and backgrounds, or so Colfer and Dunkin seem ready to argue.įor years, images and videos that tell the stories of the refugee experience have poured into Western homes. This fictionalized tale of the young refugee Ebo – written by Colfer and Donkin and stunningly illustrated by Rigano – conveys an all too true and all too common journey taken by those in search of a better life, and delicately balances its portrayal of despair and loss with hope and love. Illustrated and colored by Giovanni Rigano
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