Picture | Sophisticated Picture | History & Politics | Politics

As the world refugee crisis intensified, back in 2017 two teachers of Illustration at Worcester University had the idea of contacting illustrator friends around the world, asking them to draw and send an original postcard on the theme of Migration, to form an installation at the Biennale of Illustration at Bratislava, Slovakia. The response astonished them, with hundreds of cards and personal messages, forming a visually stunning show. The installation has since been mounted in South Korea and will be displayed at further places around the world, including Amnesty International's London offices in the summer of 2019.

Review: "A book to return to over and over. The foreword from Shaun Tan will make your imagination soar. It's a precious book to keep returning to and a perfect gift to inspire and give hope; a reminder of the universal power of art and storytelling. A book with beautiful wings to help us fly through turbulent skies." -- Sita Brahmachari * Books for Keeps Best Books of 2019 *

"A lovely pocket-sized book, filled with images and words which encourage the viewer to mull on what it means to leave for a new, maybe safer, future. As relevant now as it was a few years ago at the start of its journey from exhibition to publication." * Association of Illustrators *

"A beautiful small format book that could provide lots of discussion points for classes, as well as offering the opportunity to look at different art forms and techniques from around the world." * English 4 - 11 *

"This is not a book to be pigeonholed; it also needs to migrate - to take that flight of imagination - and find a home not just on every shelf but in every hand and mind." * Books for Keeps 5 star review *

"Fifty of the postcards are replicated in this fascinating book and it's such a positive message about the impact that migration of people can have on the way that cultures and ideas can flow despite the borders and barriers that are put up.It's a clever idea and is a really good way to introduce ideas of migration with children." * Let Them be Small *

"'It has hope pulling the strands of the journey together, a dream of something better. Each journey and illustration is an individual act, but very much part of a whole." -- Recommended for Refugee Week * Minerva Reads *

"...It feels impossible to read this book without lingering on favourite pictures, words that go straight to your heart and the powerful combinations of words and pictures. There seem to be endless possibilities for the use of this book.The book is called Migrations. Open Hearts. Open Borders and it certainly opened my heart." * Books for Topics * 

"A source of pride, beautiful to hold and a showcase for the work of illustrators." * Books for Keeps *

"Everyone needs a copy of Migrations; it reaches out to us all, offering another beacon on the uphill climb towards the creation of a better world for everyone, young, old and in-between." * Red Reading Hub *

"A poignant book which collates artwork from across the world to express solidarity and support with the migrants who face great danger and struggle to find a better place." * picturebooksblogger *

Author Biography:

Migrations, an exhibition of the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society, was first shown at BIBIANA, Bratislava, in September 2017. The ICPBS, founded at the University of Worcester, England, by Piet Grobler and Tobias Hickey, emphasises and celebrates the power of illustration to engage with society, particularly by focusing on issues of cultural diversity and the inclusivity of minorities and socially disenfranchised people.