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‘The Blue Road: A Fable of Migration’ – Advance Graphic Novel Review

I will come right out and say it: The Blue Road is a beautiful read. It’s a gorgeous book, as well, and I don’t mean just visually. It’s a tenderly written narrative that really works as an exercise in empathy in today’s age. In fact, it’s a very age-appropriate tool to serve as an allegory for the hardships of migration, even for children.

April dela Noche Milne’s illustrations are glorious. Every page is illustrated with so much emotion and detail, telling a beautiful story of a girl, Lacuna, and her struggles to find her place in the world. Milne’s art carries a children’s book quality in their simplicity, but they never lose their emotional core.

Wayde Compton’s text boils the narrative of migration into Lacuna’s story: a girl who’s displaced from the only home she’s ever known, and her journey to find a new home and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Lacuna is no victim of circumstance; she’s an intrepid do-er that uses her ingenuity to overcome the obstacles literally put in her way. Along the way, Lacuna learns that “leaving, arriving, returning – they’re all just different words for the same thing: starting over again.” If there’s one quibble I have about this book, it’s the occasionally very dark text bubble that makes the letters really hard to read.

Overall, this is whole-hearted recommendation from me. This should be in nurseries, classrooms, and libraries. It’s entirely appropriate for the whole family.

Creative Team: Wayde Compton (writer), April dela Noche Milne (illustrator)
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Click here to purchase.

Wenxian Tan, Fanbase Press Contributor

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