Malala’s Magic Pencil

Author: Malala Yousafzai
Illustrator: Kerascoët
Publisher: Puffin

“If I had a magic pencil, I would use it to…”
“First, I would erase war, poverty and hunger. Then I would draw girls and boys together as equals.”

Malala is a young girl, living in Pakistan, who is clearly upset by the inequalities she both observes and experiences. Malala’s true story explains about war, poverty and fear and how she made enormous changes through her bravery. The delightful use of Malala’s ‘magic pencil’ allows her story to both address worries of war and poverty and to be linked to any areas of challenge and concern.

Malala’s beautiful and inspiring story shows how a young girl, seemingly powerless, can help to create a more peaceful world through her passion and perseverance. The illustrations gently express both the fear and hope that Malala shares which encourage further conversation and evokes empathy.

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

News of war and poverty is often distressing for children, this story allows for hope and inspires ‘speaking out’ against inequality.
Many of us are experiencing or have experienced distressing events, how would you use a ‘magic pencil’ to draw opportunities for change?

Guidance:

No matter how challenging things became, Malala expressed her hopes and wishes first through an imaginary pencil and then through writing and talking about her deepest concerns.

Hope & Inspiration:

Malala’s bravery shows that there is much hope for equality and peace.
Malala shares how fortunate she feels to have the privilege of attending school, how she works incredibly hard to become one of the ‘top students’ to find freedom for herself and other young girls.
‘Why not me?’ Malala is inspirational in how she wrote about her sadness that girls were too afraid to attend school and eventually spoke to international reporters to encourage a ‘chorus of voices’ for her cause.