My Two Blankets

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.

Hardie Grant Children's Publishing will donate $2 from the original sale of this new hardback Dari/English edition to Australia for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency's national partner, to support its global humanitarian operations of displaced people.

The Dari/English translation of this beautiful story is a collaboration between the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) in Melbourne, the Readings Foundation, publisher Hardie Grant Children's Publishing and the author and illustrator. Dari 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 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.

About the Author

Irena Kobald is a multi-lingual Austrian immigrant to Australia, who teaches aboriginal children in Australian outback communities (the closest shop is 250 kms away!). She has a Master's degree in Russian.

About the Illustrator

Freya Blackwood was born in Edinburgh and grew up in Australia, where she now lives with her daughter Ivy. She began illustrating picture books in 2002 and has since been shortlisted for, and won many prestigious awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2010 for Harry and Hopper.