Books that support quieter children

Author-illustrator Angie Morgan champions books that validate children’s feelings 

You may well think that I am stating the obvious when I say that children come in all shapes and sizes. 

Big ones and little ones.  

Noisy ones and quiet ones. 

Funny ones and serious ones. 

They are as different as snowflakes – which I am reliably informed never ever repeat the same pattern. 

We are all aware of this and yet when it comes to children en masse we frequently make the mistake of treating them all the same – assuming that what one child likes they will all like. 

‘Of COURSE it will be fun! ALL Your friends will be there! You’ll have a GREAT time!’  

In my book I Really REALLY Don’t like Parties! Dora is horrified to hear that ALL her friends will be at Rashid’s party– not because she doesn’t like her friends, but she just prefers them in small numbers. 

Children understand other children who eschew large noisy gatherings because they are more accepting of the differences in their peers than grownups sometimes are.  

Parents are often worried by their children when they don’t want to throw themselves full pelt into the melee, forgetting sometimes that they themselves were also the ones who would hang around the edges clinging to their parents’ legs! 

One book that celebrates difference in a positive way is Strictly no Elephants by Lisa Mantchev and illustrated by Taeeum Yoo. It tells the story of a boy who with his pet elephant wants to join a pet club. When he arrives to find a sign on the door that says ‘Strictly No Elephants,’ he walks away – whereupon he meets a girl who has a pet skunk! Together they form an alternative pet club to which they invite everyone. It’s  heart-warmingly inclusive without being sacchariney sweet. 

Mole’s Quiet Place by Jane Chapman

The gentle story of a mole who has lots of friends but who sometimes likes to be quiet on his own – and don’t we all? 

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Reesis

A classic story of someone who thinks they can’t do something, but with help coming from an unexpected quarter discovers that they can do it after all. 

What Makes Me a Me by David Tazzyman

Another wonderful life-affirming story by Ben Faulks and illustrated by the wonderful David Tazzyman. It is an exploration of all the things that make the boy in the story specially him. He visits all the things that he is like but comes to the conclusion finally that he is uniquely him. 

Enormouse by Angie Morgan

A simple story about a rat who thinks he’s a mouse.When he discovers the truth that he is different he realises in the end that it doesn’t matter. What truly matters is that he and his mice friends love each other in spite of the differences. 

All these stories emphasise and celebrate differences and the uniqueness of each and every child. We should all embrace that and learn from the fact that children are so much more accepting of each other’s differences than are we grownups. 

I Really REALLY Don’t like Parties! by Angie Morgan is out now.