The Island

Product Information

Una storia di ordinaria intolleranza, dal finale amaro, narrata in modo asciutto, distaccato, senza esprimere giudizi.

The Islanders show extreme xenophobia and racism when deciding what to do with the man, who should care for him and how he will be integrated into the Island. His work has brought him great acclaim, being awarded the Bologna Ragazzi Award as well as being nominated for the Hands Christian Andersen Prize, after reading The Island I can see why. The author included the sharks to represent the constant and very real threat of death and the problem of survival against these unlikely odds. Greder's references to the European expressionist tradition - most obviously Munch's The Scream - give a timeless resonance to this tale of cross-cultural hostility. They did this by making mistakes and learning from them, they do everything they to keep what society has instilled upon them; with rules and roles in their society.Without adults, the children have no boundaries and therefore have to understand for themselves the boundaries of adult life; what is socially acceptable and unacceptable. Starkly illustrated in a sombre expressionist style brightened by a few pertinent flashes of colour, this brilliant and haunting picture book painfully captures the violent hatred that the most harmless of outsiders can engender.

The choices which follow take him through all the galaxies, stars, planets, creatures, peoples, countries, and parents before arriving at the final twist in this journey back to where he had been almost. Short-listed for the Children's Book Council award this year, the front cover perfectly delivers the message of the book. They will then explore the nuances in the language used by Armin Greder as they share the text, The Island. With stark, gloomy illustrations and a simple but emotionally challenging story this picture book is best suited to pupils aged 11+ It would make a fantastic starting point for discussion on bullying, influence, fear, refugees, human rights and much more. Ideally, the villagers would send him packing; they'd cast him out to sea to find his way back to wherever he came from.

I’m afraid I’m not familiar with Armin Greder, what I do know I found online five minutes before I started writing this. The teacher will describe a picture of what a typical Irish settlement would have looked like at this time. Therefore, this book might be better used in small groups of older primary children, or could be look at in parts by the whole class although I feel that not looking at the whole story is a crying shame.