This is one of the most powerful picture books I’ve read for some time.

‘One Red Shoe’ depicts life in a Middle East war zone

The superlatives keep flowing for Karin Gruss and Tobias Kreijschi’s new picture book for older readers, One Red Shoe.

In her review on ReadPlus (an excellent resource for children’s books), Barbara Braxton focuses on Tobias Kreijschi’s award-winning illustration:

Told in a minimalist style, almost like a photo essay would be, the imagery is so striking that the minds connects the dots without the need for superfluous words … From endpaper to endpaper there is nothing extraneous, but the astute eye will pick up tiny details that offer so much insight into who this man is, his thoughts and emotions.

She finishes with some comments that highlight the book’s enduring qualities:

This is a picture book for older students, right through to the senior years of secondary school. It has so many places in the Australian Curriculum and Ian McLean’s teachers’ notes offer many suggestions that demonstrate how it could be used across all levels from about Year 5 up. An exceptional book that has so much for so many.

You can read the full review here.

The book is available through all good booksellers or, in cases of difficulty, from the Wilkins Farago website.