Tony Bradman and Sally Nicholls write fantastically honest and real stories for children. When Saturday Comes & Too Nice help readers understand the challenges of families splitting up and trying to balance the needs of two parents.
When Saturday Comes by Tony Bradman & Tania Rex
Daniel loves football! His team, the Haybrook Rockets, are hoping to win the Area Under 11s Championships. After his parents split up, he faced all sorts of new things – a new flat, a new job for mum and a new school while Dad went to work in another country. Joining the football team helped Daniel feel settled.
Then one day, Dad comes back and wants to see Daniel. The thing is, the only time Dad has free is Saturday mornings – the same time as Daniel’s football matches. Daniel doesn’t want to let the team down but he worries that if he doesn’t see Dad, he ruins any chance of his parents getting back together. Things are awkward and Daniel feels nervous every week. On top of everything else, his friends are annoyed and blame him for the football team’s losses.
This is a lot of responsibility for a child. Adults need to carry the heavy load rather than letting children try to make things right for their families. Through Daniel’s story, readers will see the importance of friendship, teamwork and being open about how we feel.
Too Nice by Sally Nicholls
Abby and her dad are a fantastic team. They don’t need anyone else. When Dad’s new girlfriend, Jen, starts coming round, Abby can’t stand the false niceness and overenthusiastic gushing. It feels like Jen is shoving herself into Abby’s mum’s place. Abby wants Dad to be happy but misses him being just hers.
As the map of Abby’s family is redrawn, she feels small and upset. Things are so different and she feels like it’s pulling them apart – even Gran and Grandpa are being pushed away. Abby realises she’s being awful in her behaviour towards Jen but doesn’t know how to make things right. It’s a hard lesson to learn but she realises being honest about her feelings and a bit of give and take will make things much better.
Sometimes children don’t see adults as real people. This story shows how important acceptance, understanding and empathy are in how we develop relationships with new people in our lives.
Barrington Stoke can always be relied on to create entertaining, meaningful, empathy-filled stories that are accessible and empowering for readers. With dyslexia-friendly font, spacing and page tint, everyone can enjoy these books. The manageable length and carefully chosen vocabulary encourages success and brings children back for more.
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