Children are more well informed about current news events than ever before and the one that garners more questions than any other is the migrant crisis.
There are many books that deal with the subject in a thought-provoking manner for older children but how do you start to explain something so catastrophic and affecting to younger children?
Books always help, stories help to explain the situation and perhaps "Welcome" by Barroux will help to bridge the gap for parents who have inquisitive younger kids who want to know more, also covering issues regarding climate change and the way we, as human beings, treat other species as well as other people.
In "Welcome" a group of polar bears live a blissful life on an ice floe. One day the ice floe cracks, and they find themselves cast adrift on the sea. As their rapidly melting floe makes landfall in different places, the polar bears don't always find a warm welcome. But what happens when they finally reach a safe haven? Will their lives have to change?
It's actually a powerful message but the way it has been thoughtfully brought across is pitch-perfect.
"Welcome" by Barroux is released today by Egmont Publishing.
(Kindly supplied for review)