Suri’s Wall (Lucy Estela, illus by Matt Ottley, Viking)

Lucy Estela’s debut picture book Suri’s Wall is a standout. This imaginative story explores the strength of the human spirit in the face of isolation and destruction, and is inspired by the author’s own struggle with difference and the issues around young people in detention centres. Suri is a young girl of unusually tall height whose only constant inside the confines of her war-torn, cliff-top camp is the high wall that surrounds it. The wall brings her solace in a place where she feels her own tallness prevents her from bonding with the other children. But when a small child asks Suri about the world beyond the wall, her emotional barrier comes down. She opens herself up to new and wonderful perspectives, both inside the wall and far beyond it. Estela’s text is captivating and vivid, the perfect anchor to Matt Ottley’s breathtaking watercolour illustrations—muted browns and magentas, contrasted with airy blues and pops of colour—that are deep in texture and meaning. Suri’s Wall is a poignant story of resilience, compassion, hope and triumph, addressing themes of family, war and conflict. Early primary school readers will relish in its insightful view of a world full of possibilities.

Romi Sharp is a teacher, writer and reviewer

Category: Reviews