The Journey Home by Frann Preston-Gannon

When four different animals find that they have nowhere to live anymore, they set off on a journey of discovery to find a new home. Winner of the Sendak Fellowship, the book is a stark reminder that the only animal unworthy of making a home on this Earth, is man himself. The colour scheme tells us right away, even without the use of words: It's a dark scary world out there where animals are left adrift and abandoned to fend for themselves, without the help and protection they should get from mankind. All the beautiful illustrations in this book appear in muted colours, unusual for children's picture books. It is a hugely thought-provoking but very sad book. And we all know how that turned out for the Dodo. Sailing past a small island, they get an invitation from a Dodo, who tells the lost animals they can only go home when their homes have been restored to what they once were.Īt the end of the book, the animals have no choice but to sit and wait - 'Let's see what tomorrow brings', the little Dodo says. With each stop the boat picks up another desperate animal, and as the little gang of refugees sails across the sea, they discover how beautiful the world is, but also how much they miss their homes. The two in the boat offer the orang-utan to come along, perhaps they'll discover some trees. When they come across a river and jungle, they make a new friend, an ape in desperate need of trees to climb and food to eat. The panda decides to join the bear and they set off together across the sea. Here he meets a panda which watches him from the docks. He discovers a big city and drifts into a harbour full of huge ships and little tug boats. Along the way he meets a series of animals who become his friends.Īfter discovering a small boat, Polar Bear sets out across the sea. The book is about a small polar bear who is looking for a new home because the ice is melting away where he lives and there is no food.

The Journey Home by Frann Preston-Gannon