Tag embracing change

What I Like Most / Goodbye House, Hello House

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What I Like Most
Mary Murphy and Zhu Cheng-Liang
Walker Books

A small girl narrator takes us through the day sharing the favourite things in her life.

Assuredly she has much to like – the window through which she watches the comings and goings, apricot jam to spread on her toast, her trainers with the flashing lights,

the tree-lined river, her red pencil, chips, the storybook she knows by heart, her teddy bear.

All these are favourite things but the girl knows that while the view through the window changes, the jam is finished, her feet outgrow her shoes, the river changes,

her red pencil is all used up, her plate empties, the book is no longer interesting, there is someone there whom no matter what, she’ll always, always love and that someone is what she likes ‘the very, very most in the world.’

What a lovely way to express one’s love for a mother while also showing that maternal love is constant. Mary Murphy’s lyrical text combined with Zhu Cheng-Liang’s richly coloured illustrations with their unusual and varied viewpoints offer a wonderful demonstration that it’s not the flashy, expensive things in life that make us happy but the everyday ones we could so easily take for granted.

Goodbye House, Hello House
Margaret Wild and Ann James
Allen & Unwin

Endings and beginnings can be challenging for anyone, but here in this story the little girl narrator appears to be embracing change bravely.

She spends a while on ‘last times’, bidding farewell to things she has loved to do – fishing in the river, running through the trees;

swinging on the gate.

Inside she embraces domestic last times before saying goodbye to the rooms in the country house. Then Emma (only now her name is revealed), changes the writing on the wall to the past tense …

and it’s time to leave.

At the new city house, there are exciting first times

and hellos to be said, new writing to put on the wall and anticipation of things to come.

Yes the landscapes may be very different but with a positive attitude familiarity can be found. . Emma’s body language says much about her emotions, but no matter the location Emma is still Emma.

Margaret Wild’s minimal text combined with Ann James’ muted story-telling illustrations leave plenty of room for the reader’s imaginations.

This heart-warming book offers a great starting point for opening up discussion about change whether or not children have had an experience similar to Emma’s.

The Little Mouse and the Red Wall

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The Little Mouse and the Red Wall
Britta Teckentrup
Orchard Books

Little Mouse lives in a community surrounded by a big red wall. It’s always been there but why? And what lies beyond?
When she asks the other animals, each one comes up with a different reason – for protection, thinks Scaredy Cat; Old Bear cannot remember; Fox doesn’t care and Lion Who Had Lost His Roar says  ‘just a big black nothing’ is behind the wall.

None of these responses satisfy Little Mouse but then one day she meets a Bluebird. Thanks to the bird, she is able to discover the answers to her questions.

What she sees – a world of freedom and beauty – and an ensuing conversation with the Bluebird are life changing, altering completely her way of seeing and being in the world.
“They were looking with fear… YOU are looking with wonder. You were brave enough to find out the truth for yourself.”

Little Mouse goes back to her friends and tells them of the wonders she’s seen and one by one they walk through the wall, all except Lion, although one day he too is ready to join the others in the land beyond.

Despite the simplicity of her telling, Britta Teckentrup’s beautifully illustrated story is profound and would be an ideal starting point for a community of enquiry style philosophical discussion.

When we in the UK, and other countries, seem to be putting up boundaries, its timely themes of discovering freedom and embracing change, both personal and in the world, will resonate with both children and adults.

Friendship, Fun and Feelings

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Blue & Bertie
Kristyna Litten
Simon & Schuster
Bertie is a conventional creature spending his time along with the other giraffes crunchity- crunching the sweet leaves from the treetops, sip, slurping cooling water from the watering hole and then curling his long neck and snore, snore snoozing.

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That’s the way things were and that’s the way they liked them.
But then one day having overslept Bertie finds himself alone and unsure which way to go. Before long our long-necked friend is thoroughly lost and he’s not at all happy about it.

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Enter another creature looking very like himself except in one respect; and not only is this creature reassuring but he’s offering to show Bertie the way home.
A way that takes the two of them trit trotting beside some interesting spots and amazing sights

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and even among …

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Finally Bertie’s herd is in sight. Surely though he can’t be thinking of going back to his mundane existence and letting Blue, despite his difference, walk away all by himself, can he?
Thankfully not – after all everyone’s (or giraffe’s) daily life needs a bit of variety, not to mention a special friend to share it with.
Kristina Litten’s first solo picture book is enchanting: I particularly love the way she uses pattern and perspective in her illustrations. Blue and Bertie delightfully demonstrate what  all young children know: that being different is no barrier to friendship.

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Astro the Robot Dog
Claire Freedman and Russell Julian
Scholastic Children’s Books
Built from metal parts and programmed to obey at all times, robot dog Astro lives with alien boy, Zak on Planet Xog and their life is decidedly lacking in fun. Then one day a message flashes up on Zak’s computer screen …

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Off he goes to Planet Earth with a mission to visit Humankind and make a report. Shortly after landing he finds himself being ‘looked after’ by a small boy and daily life becomes filled with fun activities. As Astro makes his nightly reports back to Planet Xog he begins to wonder whether Zak too would enjoy these earthly activities: He’s now a robot dog with feelings. Feelings that, despite his new found friendship, make him miss his erstwhile friend very much. So when another summons comes – one calling him back home, it’s with mixed feelings that he thanks Boy and bids him farewell and off he goes.

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Thanks to Boy’s kindness however life back on Planet Xog is about to become a whole lot more fun and full of feelings, for Zak and Astro anyway.

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Told in jaunty rhyme, this is a heart-warming story of friendship, fun and a spot of football.

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