Hardback | 48 pages | Size 300 x 200mm |
Publication 22 November 2022 | ISBN 9781802583779
Shortlisted for YOTO Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024
Choose Love is a cycle of poems that highlights the experience of those forced to become refugees. The core of the collection was written in 2018 as part of a project with the charity Refugee Trauma Initiative.
With the permission of both individual refugees and aid workers, RTI shared with Nicola a number of true and poignant stories which were then used as the basis for short-form poems. Over the following years Nicola has added to this core of poems to create a coherent collection on the theme of forced migration, its wider causes and consequences.
Nicola Davies is the author of more than 80 books including picture books, non-fiction, fiction and poetry for children and adults. She has written widely on many subjects including environmental science, children’s rights, disability, grief and refugees. Recently two of her titles The Day War Came and The King of the Sky were endorsed by Amnesty UK.
Petr Horáček is an award winning illustrator and author of books for children. His books include The Best Place in the World, Puffin Peter, Blue Penguin, The Greedy Goat, Silly Suzy Goose and A New House for Mouse.
Petr illustrated Nicola Davies’s book A First Book of Animals published by Walker Books, which was shortlisted for The Kate Greenaway Medal and in 2017 was awarded Schools Library Association Information Book Award.
Awards
Shortlisted SLA's Information Awards 2023
Highly Commended CLiPPA 2023
Longlisted for UKLA Book Awards 2024
Selected to form part of the Read for Empathy Collection 2024
Reviews
'In this moving sequence of poems, Nicola Davies' text combines with the superbly evocative illustrations of Petr Horácek to provide insight into the real-life experiences of refugees forced to leave their homes and previous lives behind to face an unknown future.' Peter's Books
‘Every word is carefully chosen and expertly crafted into the most humane and heartfelt poetry, enriched and enhanced by abstract illustrations which show how art, in its widest sense, can affect positive change, building bridges and bonds between each of us.’ Jake Hope, Chair of Youth Libraries Group
'I don’t know when a book last caused so much emotion or made me want to act so desperately to help. This is beautiful, compassionate, I want everyone to see it.' Maggie Still, Scottish BookTrust
'A timely reminder of our shared humanity and the importance of compassion in a world marked by displacement and division.' Children's Books Ireland, Reading Together with Refugees Reading Guide
‘There is heartbreak in the refugee plight and the utter cruelty of borders and uncaring governments in this devastating entwining of words and pictures. BUT there is also deep HOPE in confronting what it is all too easy to shy away from. Important, sensitive and brave.’ Kate Shooter, Artist
‘It is too easy for the individual stories and impacts to be lost behind the sweeping phrases of ‘refugee crisis’ ’small boat people’ etc. This helps to bring us back to the person, the faces and family, the individuals who are part of the bigger picture.’ Andy Fryers, Hay Festival Sustainability Director
‘Just beautiful. Vital and heart-breaking. I can’t help but get teary reading it.’ Chi Thai, Film Director
‘Never has it been more important to Choose Love, this beautifully crafted book comes out just when we need it most.’ Aine Venables, Hay Festival Education Manager
'Never has a book been more timely. Poignant, heartfelt and necessary…' Charlotte Hacking
'Unflinching, moving and thought-provoking, this collection provides insight that new reports can't hope to achieve.' Helen Thompson, The School Librarian
'Genuinely moving and incredibly important in its ability to bring clarity to a subject that is much muddied by political rhetoric, this book should be part of any UKS2+ classroom.' English 4-11
'Challenging, dynamic, important and really rather brilliant.’ Simon Fisher, Family Bookworms
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 'This is a book to put before teens and young adults for a personal response, maybe a discussion that might even lead to the creation of more poems. more artwork.' Books for Keeps
'This book of poems about refugees is heartbreakingly beautiful. The words, the illustrations, the grief, the hope. Thank you Nicola for taking us on a journey through the experiences of refugees and allowing us to gain a small insight into the strength of humankind.' Loretta and Books
'A lovely, heartfelt book that would make a gorgeous gift, and is aligned to the Choose Hope charity which holds a focus on humanitarian aid. Excellent stuff all round.' Buzz Magazine
'Choose Love is a collection of poetry which admirably raises empathy and understanding around refugees. Every word in Nicola Davies poems is meticulously hewn and Petr Horacek’s abstract art carries an urgency and directness, the two combine to create a deep and long-lasting impression.' Jake Hope, Books for Keeps
'The most incredible, thought provoking, at times gut wrenchingly, harrowing poems that reach deep into your soul and change your view of the world. There's glimpses of hope splintered throughout, hope when you choose love.' Busy Busy Learning
'An incredibly heartfelt, thought provoking and moving collection of poems providing insight into the lives of refugees.' Raising Bookworms
'These poems really bring the stories of those seeking asylum to life... The unique illustrations are perfect alongside the poems; highlighting the reality of the terrors these families endure.' Mum, Wife and Midwife