Book Title: The Giraffe Who Came To Play
Author: Priyanka Agarwal Mehta
Publisher: Sam and Mi
Type: Board Book
Pages: 20 pages
Recommended Age: 2.5 – 4 years
A heartening storybook to address separation anxiety while starting school.
When our children go to school for the first time, they feel scared and have a lot of separation anxiety. They are suddenly being asked to spend time away from the only place they have ever known and the only people they feel comfortable with! And on top of this, they have to stay with complete strangers.
The Giraffe who came to play is the story of little Samara whose mummy gives her a comfort toy to play with at home. When she starts school, the same comfort toy provides her an immense sense of security, as despite the new environment, she still had something familiar.
The story resonated with me on many levels. When a child starts school, it is not only him/her who experiences separation anxiety, it is the parents too. As parents, we want to do everything we can to make their transition to school smooth, and it seems extremely hard on some days. One thing that worked for us was, sending something with my child that reminded him of me, and could comfort him when he was away from me. Samara’s mother too, provides her daughter with something that would remind her of the comfort and care of her mother.
I absolutely love how the author has taken a real issue and provided an innovative solution for caregivers as well as children. The illustrations throughout the book are extremely endearing, and the writing is in very simple and easy to understand language. I only wish the book was a bit longer, because it felt like it finished all too soon! That said, this book could be an important one in every parent’s library, and is sure to help them make their child’s transition to school less painful!
If you enjoyed this review and want giraffe to come and play with your childoo too, you can order this book directly from the publisher using the exclusive KBC coupon code KBCSAM20 which gives our members 20% discount site-wide.
USE KBCSAM20 CODEDisclaimer: We are proud to be a part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
