Drawn Across Borders, by George Butler. Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2021. $24.99 ages 10 and up

"When I arrived in Belgrade, I was immediately 
struck by the cold. But there are two types of cold
here: the cold you rush through from one building 
to another, as I was able to do, and the cold you have 
to sit in. Refugees and migrants had a different 
relationship to the cold. Everything they did was to 
combat it."

These 12 stories of migration were collected between 2011 and 2018 in such faraway places as Syria, Kenya, Tajikistan, Iraq, Palestine, Serbia and Myanmar. George Butler, an award-winning artist who has an enduring interest in news affairs that are current and compelling, spent those years reporting on critical situations in these varied places. His interviews were with people who had an urgent reason for leaving their homes. Their reasons were many: safety, food, work, love, family, war, a wish for a better future. 

"I have made these drawings. 

I made them in refugee camps, 

in war zones, and on the move, 

and as I drew, people told me 

their stories." 

Mr. Butler believes that as we read their stories, and try to understand the circumstances, the world will better respond to the continuing crisis. Each of the twelve chapters includes several telling sketches of the people he saw or met, his description of the setting and events of the time spent there. This is an emotional look into the faces of people and their circumstances, whatever they might be. Migration is not new. It can affect people from all walks of life, both young and old. The artist assures that we know this to be true. Through his expert lens, we are privy to the dreams, difficulties, and doubts migrants bear as they move from one place to another. 

"The end of this book is not the end of the stories of the people in it. I realize now that this was a small moment in their lives, and while meeting them was significant to me, it was probably not to them. A drawing is not like a photograph - it's not just about recording something: it can hold huge meaning too. Whatever others make of them, these drawings and the people they represent mean everything to me."

Absolutely stunning, heartbreaking at times, and worthy of attention.