Artist Miriam Latimer, illustrator of over 25 children's books, has now written her debut picture book Colours of Home, inspired by her experiences of supporting Syrian refugees. Narrated by a young girl in gently rhyming and thoughtful text, Olive tells us that a refugee girl is coming to her home but she is warned that Ana won't understand her if she tries to talk to her. Olive has an inspired idea of using pictures to communicate, and through the drawings she understands why Ana is so sad. It is a beautiful picture book that will spark important conversations about migration and acceptance. Here Miriam tells us more about her debut picture book and about the use of colour in her illustrations to tell an important story.

Hi everyone! I'm Miriam Latimer, a children's book author and illustrator, and I am excited to share with you some of the inspiration behind my new book Colours of Home published by Graffeg.    

It all began around five years ago when I helped to welcome a Syrian refugee family into our village. It was through a Home Office scheme which meant that a group of us raised money, found a rental property, met the family at the airport, and helped them to integrate into the local community. It was both a challenging experience and also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  

Fast forward to around two years ago when I was feeling a little uninspired about what to write about and what I wanted to illustrate. My agent, at the time, encouraged me to write about something that I had experience of, and something that was close to my heart. I just knew that I wanted to write about my experience of welcoming refugees. The idea was the easy part though, the tricky bit was working out how on earth to write about such a heavy subject for young readers.   

I began by writing the story from the point of view of a refugee child arriving in a new country. However, I quickly felt very uncomfortable with it, because I have no experience of being of a refugee and I certainly don't have the right to tell their story. I then realised that what I do have experience of, is welcoming a refugee, and I began writing from the point of view of a girl welcoming a refugee. One specific sentence kept coming to me, which was very similar to the sentence at the end of the book: 'I'm thankful she's here, for the joy she brings me. I hope she feels safe now, at home here and free.'
That sentence helped me realise that it needed to be a rhyming book. Rhyme had the ability to soften the heavy subject and make it digestible for children. I also had the inspiration to use colour to express the sadness that the refugee girl was feeling. You will see that Ana, the refugee girl, appears completely blue in colour at the beginning of the book. Using blue was another way of communicating big emotions in a simple way for children to understand.  

There are many things that happen in Colours of Home which are based on my own experiences. When I first welcomed the Syrian refugee family, I used to communicate by drawing them pictures, which is what Olive does for Ana in the story. I remember giving toys to the Syrian family, dancing with them, and trying to learn some Arabic words but getting them very wrong which all appear in the story too. I also remember seeing their sadness after speaking with loved ones who were in different countries. I knew that I didn't want Olive to help bring back colours into Ana's life and for that to be the end of the story. I wanted to show that refugees will always carry difficulties or sadness with them by showing that the blue comes and goes from Ana's life.

At the end of the story Olive realises that Ana has also brought colour into her life too, which has definitely been my experience. It is wonderful being friends with people from a different culture. It has made my life more colourful. Our Syrian friends came to the UK seeking refuge from war, but they have lots to teach us about community, generosity and welcoming strangers. This inspired the end of the book: 'For he's not alone as she calms down his fears. for she also shares colours with everyone here. She radiates colours that weren't here before, colours of life, that unite and restore.'  

I have to say that I am immensely proud of this book. It means a lot to me, and I am so happy that others are enjoying it too. I hope that it inspires conversation about how we can help, not only refugees, but any stranger feel welcomed and at home.

Colours of Home, written and illustrated by Miriam Latimer, is published by Graffeg Limited, and is available to buy now in paperback. 

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