Details for 'The New Girl' by Nicola Davies and and Cathy Fisher

The New Girl

by Nicola Davies and and Cathy Fisher
Recommended age: 3+
Beautiful and haunting illustrations and poetic writing turn a powerful message about acceptance, difference and bullying into a magical story for children aged four and above.
The New Girl
by Nicola Davies and and Cathy Fisher
My review:

The new girl is beginning school in a new country and finds that the children in her class are unfriendly towards her.

They don't like the food she eats for lunch, her clothes are unfamiliar to them and she doesn't understand their language.

But when the new girl takes herself away to make paper flowers, then leaves them around the classroom, the other children become mesmerised by these beautiful creations.

So she shows them the art of paper folding, and relationships are formed, attitudes changed and cultures explored. The new girl becomes Kiku, a new friend.

The narrator of this story is one of the unkind classmates, and this perspective brings a powerful dynamic. It's a stunning book.

Date of my review November 2020