The terrible, tragic events in the Channel and a refugee problem which does not seem to have improved since 2016, prompts me to remind everyone about this simply stunning book. As far as I can discover the fundraising aspect is still in place (published with no profit to publisher, author or bookseller. £5 from every book sold donated to the War Child charity) so it is well worth buying new copies. Refuge is a retelling of the Christmas story, but one with a difference: the focus of this short, lyrical picture book is the fleeing of Jesus, Mary and Joseph from Herod’s soldiers as they make their way to safe refuge in Egypt, told from the point of view of a donkey that helps take them there. The evocative images are almost entirely monochrome, but the use of gold to emphasise love and hope is very powerful. The family’s hope for the “kindness of strangers” and their fear of heading into the unknown mirrors the plight of all refugee families and this beautiful little book uses the familiar nativity story to develop empathy and understanding of the refugee crisis in readers of any age.