Pattu's Dosa
A bilingual short read in both English and Tamil, this simple story reflects a very familiar scene in houses around the world. It regularly happened in our house when I was making pancakes for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Without giving too much away, if you are a parent, you will have experienced the outcome of this story!
Beautifully illustrated, the rich colours of the pictures draw you in to the characters, which very subtly represent a mixed race family full of love for each other. Everyone comes and gives Pattu a hug before they eat their dosas. Diverse representation without a song and dance.
The Mysterious Dinosaurs of Crystal Palace
As someone who grew up in South East London, not too far from Crystal Palace, I used to go and visit the dinosaurs fairly often. So this picture book resonates with me, as I often used to wonder if they were really alive, and what they did when the park closed at night, and now I know.
The story has lots of rhythm and sound, which younger children will love joining in with as they become familiar wit it. It tells the tale of two very different families spending time in the park, and is a little like a huge game of musical statues and sleeping lions (or should that be dinosaurs) combined. Lots of fun and wonderfully illustrated.
Why have I included it as a diverse read? Like all Parakeet books, the characters are not white and give children a chance to see themselves in an every day story, no fuss, no struggle, just normal every day kids.
Eve's New Brother
If I have to choose a favourite of the three books, this is it. It is a cracking story of Eve having to deal with a new brother arriving and spoiling everything that she does or wants to do. I mean, let’s face it babies are boring. They don’t do anything except make a noise or a mess yet everyone always makes them the centre of attention. As they get older they get worse! They make more of a mess, can’t speak properly and they chew your toys! Who wants a baby brother?! A great exploration of the feelings that children have when someone new comes into their lives.
The family in the story has two mums, something that you might not even notice at first because it isn’t a big deal in the story. They are a family like any other with two children who they have to teach to accept each other.
Throughout these mini-reviews I have made a point of downplaying the diversity and representation within the stories themselves. The ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation of the characters is not central to the stories and that is a theme that is at the heart of what Parakeet Books are doing. Books that address difference or struggle are important, but they shouldn’t be the only books that are considered to be diverse and inclusive and great examples that everyone should read. Every day books are important too, books where normal children do normal stuff and the characters within are representative and diverse without making a fuss about it. This is what allows children to grow up feeling seen and part of the story of our society.