Tag Bethan Welby

I am Ray’s Imaginary Friend

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I am Ray’s Imaginary Friend
Brian Moses, illustrated by Bethan Welby
Scallywag Press

Written in verse by poet Brian Moses, this is an intensely moving, sensitive story about coping with change. Its narrator is one of the star pupils from the School for Imaginary Friends who is given the name Jacob when he responds to eight year old Ray’s call of distress.

Ray loves his life in Pratts Bottom village but then he overhears his parents talking about moving away because his Dad has a new job. Horrified by the idea he even contemplates running away. Instead he calls into being an imaginary friend. Jacob. Jacob takes his role very seriously, even going so far as to deliver difficult messages to Ray, knowing that in the long run they will help the boy. In addition to being there for him, Jacob particularly likes to say ‘yes’. ‘I like to say yes, / even if I ought to say no. / Saying yes makes Ray feel good / and makes me feel good too.’ we read.
To begin with Ray does lots of everyday things with Jacob as well telling his mum off when she almost drives into him. It’s merely a phase, is what his parents think.

A little while later at his new school, Ray’s teacher talks about what’s happening in Ukraine and this leads to two things: first Ray writes a poem about it which is put on the school website and then his family decide to open their new home to two Ukrainian refugees.

As he hears about and processes what the mother and son have endured, Ray realises that his own problems are not so bad after all and it’s then that Jacob knows it’s time for him to find someone else to help.

Quietly brilliant, this is a book that explores coping with change and becoming mentally stronger and the powerful influence of empathy. The latter in particular is brought out beautifully in Bethan Welby’s black and white drawings. It’s a must read for older KS2 readers either at home or as a shared class book.

Phyllis & Grace

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Phyllis & Grace
Nigel Gray and Bethan Welby
Scallywag Press

In this moving story, a little girl Grace pays regular visits to her next door neighbour, an elderly woman who lives by herself. Whenever she visits, Grace takes Phyllis something: a slice of cake, a bowl of stew, biscuits she’s baked herself,

jelly and a drawing she’s done at school.

It’s obvious that Phyllis enjoys Grace’s visits but as she shares with her, stories about her life, it’s evident that her memory is fading – names are forgotten, things misplaced, and events confused. Nonetheless despite the huge difference in age and Phyllis’s increasing disorientation, Grace forms a strong bond with her neighbour and eventually goes regularly to visit her in an old people’s home and even meets her son who takes Grace somewhere very special.

Basing the story on the experience of his own granddaughter and her neighbour, author Nigel Gray’s story is told with great sensitivity and equally sensitively illustrated in Bethan Welby’s gentle watercolour scenes. Together words and pictures beautifully document the progression of dementia and how it might appear, from a young child’s viewpoint. A book for adults and children to share and discuss as gently as it’s presented by its creators.

The After Christmas Tree / Dinosaur Christmas!

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The After Christmas Tree
Bethan Welby
Scallywag Press

Here’s a debut picture book festive story with a difference: it features a little boy named Brian who comes upon a discarded Christmas tree by the roadside while out walking with an adult one grey January day. Feeling sorry for the abandoned tree he takes it home, promising to care for it.

However, once back indoors he’s the only member of his family who is pleased about his find, particularly as he moves it around wherever he goes.

By bedtime even Brian is feeling unhappy and Mum offers to help him take it outside. However, the boy insists on doing the job himself and it’s left outside in the snow overnight.

Brian meanwhile has an anxious night but when sleep finally comes, he has a wonderful dream – or is it? …
Both words and pictures are presented with sensitivity: the telling is straightforward leaving plenty of room for Bethan’s expressive illustrations to do much of the talking and with a knowledge of the huge number of Christmas trees that are merely thrown out every year, the message about sustainability is clear and important.

Dinosaur Christmas!
Penny Dale
Nosy Crow

Penny Dale’s terrific dinosaur team are back and now it’s Christmas Eve and they’re called to the aid of Santa. In order to rescue him they have to make their way through a swirling, whirling snowstorm. Be they at the wheel of a snow plough crunching over the snowy road, whizzing along on snowmobiles, zooming Whoosh! Whoosh! over the water on a hovercraft or chugga chugging in search of Santa’s house,

the crew will be there in the nick of time to unearth (or un-snow) the old man’s sleigh and make sure he’s suitably fuelled with seasonal fare. Then with presents duly loaded (courtesy of the helicopter dinosaurs), it’s up and away with a Ho! Ho! Ho! leaving the dinosaurs time to make their own preparations for the big day. Will Santa be kind to them too?

Young dino. fans will thoroughly enjoy the return of the prehistoric brigade showing their manoeuvres in new forms of locomotion for the festive season.