I Am Reading: The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival
The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival 👉
| Publisher: | Simon & Schuster Ltd. |
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| Publish date: | 9 May 2024 |
It's hard to write a children's book for children about a topic as serious as poverty. Often the attempts are po-faced and didactic, aimed really at adults, lecturing the reader or wringing their hands in despair.
Tom Percival's The Wrong Shoes stands out because it's immediately accessible, direct, even funny in places, and completely rooted in the main character's experience. Will struggles with the effects of poverty. His parents are divorced, his father out of work. And while society claims that there are always opportunities, Percival points out how often they come with hidden costs. You might be gifted at piano, but you can't afford lessons. Or at football, but can't afford boots. And so your chance to escape poverty slips away
But Will is more than a victim. He fights against his situation – sometimes successfully, sometimes not – and tries to make sense of things. And the world is more than despair. Hope, expressed as the sudden appearance of an owl one evening, is a major theme of the book. There's no golden resolution, but by the end there is the promise of a better life.
With strong, accessible writing, wonderful illustrations and believable characters, Percival absolutely nails the devastating effects of poverty – and the power of hope to transform us. A lovely and important book!