My Two Blankets resonates in a special way with people who are
seeking asylum.
It is a story of the pain associated with being dislocated from home
and the familiar. But also of friendship, hope and new beginnings.
The Arabic/English edition of this beautiful story is a collaboration between the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
(ASRC) in Melbourne, the Readings Foundation, publisher Hardie
Grant Egmont and the author and illustrator.
Arabic was chosen as a language because it is an important community
language in Australia and among the top three languages spoken
by people seeking asylum who are members of the ASRC.
The translation was created by multi-lingual members of the
ASRC, who worked with a professional translator
in a workshop setting; a process that also assisted their English
language learning, and provided insight into possible career paths
in translating and interpreting.
This new bilingual edition of My Two Blankets will encourage
parents to read with their children by allowing them to draw on
both English and their home language, conferring value on both.
And in that way, support both parents and children towards the
lifelong assets of literacy and multilingualism.
