'Stepping stones': Children's book tells Syrian refugees' journey through stone art

Margriet Ruurs was browsing through Facebook when she came across what she calls "an amazing image."

"It was a picture of a mother carrying a baby, and behind her, a father is walking under a load of problems," she told host Sheryl MacKay on CBC's North by Northwest.

The picture was made entirely from stones by the Syrian artistNizar Ali Badr.

"It took my breath awaybecause it's so beautiful."

Rather than simply clicking 'like', Ruurs decided to show her appreciation in a different way. Now, Ali Badr's images are part of herbest-selling children's bookStepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey.

'Stepping stones'

Ali Badrstill lives in Syria. His art is meant to capture both the tragic and empowering moments many Syrian families endure after fleeing the country's ongoing violence.

Ruurs believedthose images could be weaved together to tell the story of the families' resettlement.

"His art was so amazing, I thought this should be a children's book I've never seen art in a book made from rocks."

Ruurs spent months to trackdown the artist.After finally contacting him, she spenthours on Skype late at night getting to know her new friend.

New friends

Ali Badr lives south of Aleppo in thetown of Latakia an area that he says isrelatively safe. Ruurs says he spends much of his time roaming the beach, looking for stones to use in his art.

"When he creates his art ...it's got emotion ...it's got love ...it's got hate ...it's got hope and that's why I felt strongly that it told a beautiful story that should reach a wider audience."

Ruurs eventually got his permission to use some of his images to put together a story about a family moving from Syria and resettling in the West.

She makes a point to never explicitly state in her writing that the family is from Syria andsaysthe story can applyto anyone.

"To me, it's a very universal story it's the story I grew up with with my parents, [who] lived through the second world war in Holland ... it's the story we grew up with."

'The story is true'

Ruurs now lives on Salt Spring Island. When a family of Syrian refugees settled there last year she made sure to share the book with them.

"The father read it, and he started crying. And that happens all the time," she said.

"To me, that means the story is true."

With files from CBC's North by Northwest

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled:'Stepping stones': Children's book tells Syrian refugees' journey through stone art