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Dennis Lives with Grandma and Grandpa ISBN: 9781910039380
Sambrooks, Paul and Tani, Tommaso Levente
Published by CoramBAAF, 2015
The fourth book in a series about Dennis and his little sister Donna, this one tells us about the two little ducklings going to live with their grandparents permanently. According to the information at the end of the story, this may mean a court order of some kind, known as 'kinship care' or 'connected persons care' or 'family and friends care'. Of course, the picture book, being for young children, says nothing about this, but explains in the simplest of terms just what is happening to the ducklings and why. A social worker comes into the story, Annie Duck, as she does in the other stories, and there is a 'wise owl', a judge who helps the family make decisions about the ducklings. As the little ones are close to their grandparents, the decision is a good one, but the point is made that it could have been an aunt or uncle, or even a good friend, who took on their care. They must be fed and their feathers cleaned, and these were things their parents were not always able to do. In this story, they see their parents with some regularity, although sometimes the parents forget, and this makes the ducklings sad. In time, they are used to the new situation and accept it happily. There is a leaflet at the back of the book which gives suggestions as to how to use the story with children. The illustrations are simple, colourful, and full of expressive faces (the little ducklings worried eyebrows are particularly good!), and this will be of very real use to children who are facing a new and different life.
Age: 4+