This is the kind of book that should have a place in every class, as a teacher will not always know when a child is needing the kind of emotional reassurance it gives. The illustrations highlight how, to them, it can feel like their whole world is breaking and changing which gives the adult reader a perspective on how the process can feel very overwhelming for the child/children involved. I also /loved/ the artistic concept that all the things around the child on each page were broken too. This book was a very risky topic for Gray to cover, and manifest in an early years foundation frame of mind. His parents have come undone and he wants to mend their marriage, stick their smiles back on and make them better.

Mum and Dad Glue” is an exceptionally well written and beautifully illustrated picture book by the absolutely fantastic Kes Gray. He goes on a hunt to try and find some glue to stick them back together but then realises that you cant find glue for the heart. This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. Even if a child has been raised by a single parent, their parents split before they were born for example, they could still benefit from a book like this.Mum and Dad Glue is very much a message book, and is aimed squarely at young children in the exact same situation as the unnamed hero. The book follows the story in a sensitive and soft tone, and would be a perfect read with a child who is experiencing this in their life. Most of the time it is not the fault of the kid, most of the time parents just lose their love, or find a new love, or some other reason. Told from the perspective of the boy allows the reader to step into his shoes and experience the emotions he is feeling and empathise with him. However by removing the crack later in the story but still having the same whole page illustrations provides a key visual message that in time the situation does heal.

This changes the boy’s attitude towards what is happening to his family and he begins to embrace events more positively.In spite of his initial apprehension, Gray said that he wanted to provide a view of divorce (from a child's perspective), that was not only just, but one that lent itself to honesty and integrity. I think this book can help bring comfort to children going through this and lets students who haven't gone through this to sympathize with their classmates more. The illustrations were very detailed and used warm toned colours which was quite effective in making me feel comforted whilst reading it.

Would be a good book to use in a PSHE lesson or if children in the class have parents going through divorce. Every Second Friday by Kiri Lightfoot and Ben Galbraith is another message book about divorce, this time dealing with children getting used to having two different homes. I really enjoyed this book as it follows the tale of a little boy who’s parents have/ are in the process of getting a divorce. Gray did not want to give false hope to any child that could be experiencing the demise of their parents’ marriage - this would be unethical, and could be potentially damaging to a child's emotional state (especially, for example, if Gray wrote a story where the parent's got back together, and everything mapped out harmoniously, because that could create a distorted, misleading expectation in a child's mind).If you require any changes to this format please indicate in 'Any comments or special requirements' box at checkout.