Two wombats, two wallabies, a koala and a tiger snake humorously squeeze into one burrow and reveal important truths about environmental disasters and the importance of welcoming refugees. I have just published my first picture book, Room for More. It was inspired by true reports of Australian wildlife sheltering in wombat burrows during the devastating bushfires there in 2019. In my story, two wombats provide safe harbour for a collection of animals – a wallaby and her joey, a koala, even a venomous tiger snake. But while one wombat, Dig, is welcoming and generous to their bush neighbours, the other wombat, Scratch, is not happy to be sharing the burrow. Scratch is afraid there’s not enough space and it might even put them in danger. Scratch would really rather not share. Illustration by Maggie Zeng from Room for More I spend the Canadian winter months in Australia and during my recent stay, the area of northern New South Wales where we live, experienced unprecedented flooding. The extreme weather event happened frighteningly fast so a vast majority of people didn’t have a chance to evacuate. Overnight, tens of thousands of people became climate refugees with their homes, cars – everything – underwater. Many were lucky to escape with their pets and their lives, some waiting for hours on rooftops for rescue. Tragically, some did not survive.
Within hours, the surrounding communities galvanized into relief mode; town halls became donation hubs for clothing, shoes and bedding. Hotels, motels and homes became emergency accommodation. Restaurants, cafes and grocery stores donated and prepared meals. It was heartwarming to see such a groundswell of goodwill, but for every person pitching in, there was another who looked away. I couldn’t help but feel Room for More was playing out around me in real time. I was seeing examples of my two wombats everywhere. One helping, one not. Global warming and climate change are playing out in Australia in a deadly cycle of bushfires and floods. We are seeing this reality in western Canada and elsewhere in the world as well. Environmental refugees of course are not the only humans in need. The world has no shortage of humanitarian crises from war and poverty to political and religious persecution. I’m often asked what message I would like to convey in my stories. In Room for More, it’s an easy answer because it is expressed on my dedication page: To all who open their hearts, homes and borders to those in need. And may we all remember to be the generous wombat. Michelle Kadarusman is a multi-award-winning author of middle grade novels including Music for Tigers, The Theory of Hummingbirds and Governor General’s Award nominated title, Girl of the Southern Sea. Born in Melbourne, Australia, she has also lived throughout her father’s homeland of Indonesia. Toronto has been her home base since 2000. Michelle currently divides her time between Toronto and Byron Bay in Australia. Room For More: https://pajamapress.ca/book/room_for_more/ Comments are closed.
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