‘‘One Day We Had to Run’’: The Development of the Refugee Identity in Children’s Literature and its Function in Education

In the last two decades there have been significant numbers of children’s books written about various aspects of the refugee experience. Previously authors had tended to approach this sensitive area principally through an historical perspective. However as the number of refugees in British schools increases, books dealing with contemporary conflicts are published in greater numbers. How do children view this growing body of literature? A short ethnographic study attempts to interrogate the importance of autobiography and personal testimony in the construction of refugee identities in children’s books, and the article discusses the validating role of these texts and their purpose as educative tools in our classrooms. I conclude by considering potential areas within the current curriculum for using story to highlight the situation of those for whom ‘‘One day we had to run!’’(Wilkes, One Day We Had to Run! London: Evans Bros Ltd., 1994).