Yalla! Let’s Go! co-authored by Peter Bol and Jennifer Castles, illustrated by Louie Joyce and published by Allen & Unwin, shares the childhood story of Sudanese-Australian Olympian and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nagmeldin ‘Peter’ Bol. Through Peter’s experiences, readers follow his family’s journey as they flee civil war in Sudan, seek refuge in Egypt and ultimately settle in Australia. This is a story about dreams, hopes, the strength of family, perseverance, embracing new opportunities, positive mindset and the resilience Peter and his family showed navigating profound change while holding onto hope for their futures.
For some readers, Peter’s story will serve as a powerful mirror, reflecting aspects of their own experiences of migration, displacement or belonging. For others, it will provide an important window into the courage, sacrifices, loss, hardship, uncertainty, challenges and opportunities that come with starting life in a new and unfamiliar place. This inspiring story may also serve as a window into the power of what is possible and can be achieved when individuals dream big and persevere in pursuit of achieving their goals, whether in the sporting arena or in another field. Peter’s story reminds readers that a person’s potential is not defined by their circumstances. Through determination, hope and the support of family and community, opportunities can emerge from even the most challenging circumstances.
Comics creator and illustrator Louie Joyce’s vibrant illustrations add to the text and support readers to emotionally connect with Peter’s experiences. Joyce gifts readers the opportunity to experience moments of confusion, fear, acceptance and hope through Peter’s lens, creating a powerful sense of connection to what it means to start again in a new country and belong to two cultures and in two places. The narrative talks about the language barrier Peter faced and it is fascinating to see Joyce deftly bring this to life with several examples of Peter’s experience with this. Joyce strongly represents sense of place throughout the story with the use of a thick coloured line that weaves it way through the story. As it changes colour and shape it mirrors the different parts of Peter’s journey and symbolises different experiences and countries.
This is a story that deserves to be in all library collections. Peter’s journey reminds readers that talent, potential and ambition can be found everywhere and that dreams can take root in even the most challenging circumstances.