The Playdate

About this book

A little girl is excited because she and her mum are going to her friend Henry’s house for a playdate. He’s fun to play with and he has a cheeky dog! 

They leave their apartment building and take the bus, the underground, then another bus to Henry’s house. On the way, the girl falls for a toy robot in a shop window, but it’s very expensive. 

At Henry’s house, she and Henry play hide and seek and build a den, and when the girl sees the very same toy robot in an empty room, she makes a hasty decision... 

This gentle story has many levels to it. At one level, it’s about taking someone’s toy and then feeling guilty, and at another it’s about the contrast between very different homes, lives, and worlds. 

Adults reading the book will realise that the girl’s mum is in fact the cleaner at Henry’s house, but this is never spelled out, allowing children to notice what they choose to. 

This was originally published in Sweden, and its quiet power has much relevance to UK society too. It could prompt interesting discussions.