The Island

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Supporting students’ phonological awareness and phonics using the Response to Intervention (RTI) model

Prix Octogone du Livre Jeunesse, Graphic Category – France, 2005; Katholischer Kinder-und Jugendbuchpreis – Germany, 2003; Die Besten Sieben, Focus, Deutschland Radio – Germany, 2002; Eule des Monats, Bulletin Jugend & Literatur – Germany, 2002; Luchs 181, Zeit und Radio Bremen – Germany, 2002 The Island by Armin Greder: Originally published in 2002 in German, and winner of multiple German and French book awards, Armin Greder's The Island is now available in English. While this picture book might be disturbing for the very young, it is an allegory that can be appreciated by all ages (the publisher indicates 8-18). It only takes a few minutes to read, but leaves you contemplating its implications and greater meanings. Armin Greder’s acclaimed picture book The Island has been republished in the UK. It is lamentably relevant, with obvious parallels between the story and the plight of people migrating across the English Channel to our own island. And perhaps this is why, somehow, this already very hard-hitting book feels particularly haunting and punchy, reading it in 2022.The Island tells the tale of a man who is washed ashore on a poorly made raft. We’re told he was different to the people of the island, this causes the people to fear and reject him. I’m being too kind here, they don’t simply just reject him, they take his voice away, treat him as an animal and eventually condemn him to a fate we can only too easily imagine. My friend Alex passed me this book today and told me to read it, she also told me to emotionally prepare myself. I took the book over to my desk, sat down and did as she instructed. This was about twelve hours ago and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this story since.

Gradually the islanders realise that the man needs food and help, but the very thought of it brings out their most deepseated prejudices. Everyone, including the teacher and the priest, finds an excuse not to help him. And so they don't. This is not to say that I feel The Island does not belong in a primary classroom. This, and other books that reflect the bleak reality of our imperfect world, need to be there. But they should be guided by a confident, informed and empathic teacher, who can ensure the exploration is one that provokes thought rather than fear or despair. This may not be a good text to share in a class with children who have recently arrived – the reality is too real, and as teachers, unlike Greder, we should hold onto and talk about the world as it should be. While it sounds humanitarian, the ‘foreigner’ was never welcomed in the community. In fact, he was treated as an outcast, a pariah that the people would have to tolerate having in their midst. The farther away he is from the people, the safer they feel. One morning, the people of the island found a man on the beach, where fate and ocean currents had washed his raft ashore. When he saw them coming, he stood up.

Voice of Reason and Compassion. Thankfully, in this book, there is a voice of compassion in the presence of the fisherman: