
Perfect
Nicola Davies(Author)
Graffeg Limited (Publisher)
Published on 31. March 2017
Book
Hardback
36 pages
978-1-910862-46-9 (ISBN)
Description
Perfect is a story of disappointment, acceptance and love. It tells the story of a young boy who learns to accept that his baby sister has a disability but that she is still perfect in every way. The story, written from the perspective of the boy, is suffused with natural imagery and is an ideal tool for opening up the subject of disability with children. -- Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru
Reviews / Votes
Perfect is a story of disappointment, acceptance and love. Written by award-winning children's author Nicola Davies, it tells the story of a young boy who learns to accept that his baby sister has a disability but that she is still perfect in every way. The story, written from the perspective of the young boy, is suffused with natural imagery and is an ideal tool for opening up the subject of disability with children. Beautifully illustrated by Cathy Fisher, Perfect is a remarkable book guaranteed to bring a lump to the throat. -- Publisher: Graffeg The boy in this beautiful picture book is looking forward to the birth of his baby sister, and he loves spending time in the little bedroom under the eves where his sister will sleep. He also loves the swifts who come back each year and nest in the roof above the room, and when the swifts return in the spring, it is time for the baby to come. He looks forward to being able to race and chase and laugh with her one day, like the swifts do in the sky.But when she is home and sleeping in the little room under the roof, he realises something is wrong. She doesn't cry and is very quiet. We aren't told exactly what the problem is, but the lad finds it impossible to love his imperfect sister. He is very saddened by this, and spends the summer in the garden watching the swifts, wishing things were different.
One day he finds a fledgling, fallen from the nest, and thinks to himself that perhaps it just needs a little help and will be able to fly. Up to his sister's room he goes with the tiny bird, and holding it out of the window in his palm, he lets it go, and off it flies. The analogy with his sister is complete and he learns to accept and to know that he can help her to 'fly' in any way she can - that she is perfect in her own way.
This tender and enchantingly poetic story is greatly enhanced by the illustrations. Full of light and darkness, movement and beauty, swirls and colour, they perfectly match the mood of the story and help us to understand the boy's feelings dramatically. A superb production. -- Elizabeth Schlenther @ www.gwales.com
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cardiff
United Kingdom
Target group
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
Interest Age: 7 years
Illustrations
13 full colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 251 mm
Width: 248 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
448 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-910862-46-9 (9781910862469)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Nicola Davies is an award-winning author whose many books for children include Perfect (longlisted for the CILIP Greenaway Medal 2017), The Pond (chosen in Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2017), and the Shadows & Light series. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Cathy Fisher is a practicing artist. She has collaborated withDavies on Perfect and The Pond.