1. Acceptance
2. Anxiety
3. Art techniques
4. Book design
5. Climate change
6. Collage
7. Courage
8. Creativity
9. Death
10. Design
11. Empathy
12. Endpapers
13. Environment
14. Family
15. Floods
16. Hope
17. Imagination
18. Marine life
19. Natural disasters
20. Perspectives (Art)
21. Resilience
22. Respect
23. Sustainability

‘Higher Ground’ is a unique blend of graphic novel, picture book and diary. The story is about a grandmother, her two grandchildren, and their pet rabbit. They work together to survive after a devastating flood leaves them stranded on their rooftop garden.

Grandma shares her survival skills for finding water, food, shelter and other necessities. Life becomes simple but this family has each other. We see the children growing older and practising their survival skills. Grandma too grows older and weaker. As the water continues to rise, the children build a raft. Grandma tells the children that she must stay and protect the garden. ‘With each ending, a new beginning unfolds,’ she says.

The pacing is deliberately slow with short, evocative and powerful sentences drawing readers into this story of strength, hope and survival. The occasional diary entry records 14 short chapters with each title progressing the story. The book’s length and novel-like appearance provide time for the reader to experience this survival tale. The endpapers provide hints of the children’s survival strategies. The page design, often with multiple small vignettes interspersed with full page illustrations, reveals how the children survive and thrive.

Suwannakit’s interviews provide fascinating insights into this story, its composition and use of media. He explains his combination of genres is his ‘way of making the book feel emotionally real and immersive for readers.’ The creative process is varied too including traditional paper and mixed media images using watercolour, graphite powder, gouache and acrylic paints. His personal background offers insights into this book too. He was born in Thailand and attended a boarding school in Singapore from the age of nine. Living away from his family, he reveals that he learned about resilience, independence and the value of family. He attributes his knowledge about sustainable living to this early experience.

‘Higher Ground’ is an unforgettable story of hope, courage and determination based on the importance of family values and the power of nature to support human life. 

1. Paperbark Joy in Books 9 Apr 2025 Joy Lawn interviews Tull Suwannakit about his book ‘Higher Ground’ https://paperbarkwords.blog/2025/04/09/higher-ground-by-tull-suwannakit/
2. Star Mail 24 Mar 2025 interview by Shamsiya Hussainpoor with Tull Suwannakit. ‘Tecoma author makes waves with new book, ‘Higher Ground’ https://rangestrader.mailcommunity.com.au/news/2025-03-24/tecoma-author-makes-waves-with-new-book-higher-ground/
3. YoungWriters UK ‘Finding Hope on Higher Ground: An Interview with Tull Suwannakit’ https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/blog/tull-suwannakit?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ1c0xleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFOWFkzZTFYWWR3clF4NURMAR45qHykwAkiE8XEQNEo__qvBgx4NRTnM8DeRinNSBVgjw5l1tlRN4maZwN9Bg_aem_brrM2BZ41TL43gX-fgLk1A
4. New Frontier Publisher’s Teaching Notes for ‘Higher Ground’ https://www.newfrontier.com.au/files/teachers_notes/higher-ground-teaching-notes.pdf
5. Story Links 3 Apr 2025 review by Lara Cain Gray of ‘Higher Ground’ https://storylinks.booklinks.org.au/2025/04/03/higher-ground/
6. Lamont Books Picture Story April 2025 Brief teacher notes for ‘Higher Ground’ https://www.lamontbooks.com.au/media/242745/ps-april-2025-higher-ground.pdf
7. Tull Suwannakit creator’s website includes interviews with the creator and reviews of ‘Higher Ground’ https://tullsuwannakit.net/books.php