It began with a knock on the classroom door.

The children looked up to see a small shadow waiting outside.

This shadow was a girl with pale skin, shiny hair, and wide eyes. Their teacher asks them to be kind, but the new girl doesn’t return their smiles.

One boy tries hard to befriend her, but still, she hardly takes any notice of what’s happening around her. All she will do is draw. But the things she drew were surprising to her classmate – upsetting things and lots of tears.

He wants to know why she is drawing such things, and begins to learn about his classmate and her recent past. She still won’t speak.

All at once, he finally realises a way to make her smile.

This picture book is a companion to the multi-award winning novel – The Boy at the Back of the Class.

The heart-wrenching themes of war, loss, grief and powerlessness are gently portrayed on the page through a young girl’s drawings. These are the only way she can try and process what has happened in her life.

Another student can see she is scared, feeling lost and scared to meet anyone’s gaze. His acceptance, understanding, empathy and kindness is what finally breaks through to her as he uses something she knows and enjoys to engage with her.

The Girl at the Front of the Class is relatable to younger children, easily opening discussions about empathy and understanding for refugees and asylum seekers. 

A gentle but powerful, full-colour picture book.

Author – Onjali Q Raúf

Illustrator – Pippa Curnick

Picture Book

(2024, Empathy, Understanding, Loss, Grief, War, Refugee, Companion story, Asylym Seeker, School, Students, Drawing, Classmates)