Adnan - by Mark Arrigo & Steven Chatterton (Hardcover)

About the Book

Adnan is a stunning story about a boy refugee, his mother, and the power of creativity.

Book Synopsis

Adnan is the heartwarming story of a refugee boy's attempts to heal his mother's mental health issues with the power of his creativity as they rebuild their lives in their new home.

Sometimes, when something sad happens, people can push it so far down because it hurts too much.
That's why Mummy doesn't remember.

This touching and sensitively told children's book is a story about a boy and his mother, about trauma and recovery, and how to deal with the challenges of mental health.

It tells the story of an imaginative ten-year-old Syrian refugee boy who flees his home country with his mother. Now settled in the UK, he must use all his creativity to break through his mother's PTSD or risk losing her forever.

The book is based on a short film of the same name, which has collected multiple awards and made Official Selection at its first Oscar qualifying festival.

Inspired by her own experiences as a refugee, Syrian artist Diala Brisly's illustrations are powerful and evocative, highlighting the contrast between Adnan's hope and the helplessness of the mother.

The charity Choose Love will receive 2% of the book's recommended retail price on every copy sold. Choose Love (formerly Help Refugees) goes where the need is greatest. They fill the gaps and act where others won't. Sometimes that means search and rescue boats. Sometimes it means providing food or safe, secure long-term housing for refugees. Since 2015, they've supported over 120 incredible projects and reached over one million people.

Review Quotes

"helpful when discussing refugees in general and especially if any child has experienced trauma."

--The School Librarian

'There's so much for us all to learn not least about the power of love and art and the strength of the human spirit.'

--LoveReading

About the Author

Mark Arrigo is a professional photographer/director with an eye for visually poetic narratives. Mark set up the charity A Home for Winter in 2016, building shelters for refugees in the Calais Jungle.Steven Chatterton is a writer and director with a strong appetite for world-building and telling stories from children's perspectives. He is a long-term mentor with children's charities, encouraging creativity in young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.Diala Brisly is a Syrian artist and activist who used to run art workshops and paint murals at refugee camps. Diala also created her own magazine Zayton and Zaytona, distributed in Syria to remind children surrounded by fighting what it means to be human. She has been featured in press articles in Le Monde and Deutsche Welle, and in interviews on the BBC, PBS, Al Jazeera and TV5 Monde. Today she lives in France.