This gentle tale about the importance of stories is a perfect choice for Year 2 and 3 classrooms and primary school libraries, offering newly independent readers a book which is enjoyable and satisfying to read. The 84 pages are illustrated in full colour, pages are not too text heavy and an interesting range of font effects are used to help young readers recognise where emphasis should be placed.
I love the distinctive illustrations by Kirsti Beautyman, which along with the muted colour palette, convey the thoughtful nature of Katie Clapham’s story. And oh my goodness, what a gorgeous story this is! A heartwarming paean to the joys of shared stories, it tells of a young child’s distress at finding that her favourite bookshop has closed down and her attempt, taken up by the wider community, to revive a place which holds a multitude of fond memories. It fully captures that magical space where stories are shared between adults and children and the importance of that experience that remains embedded deep in our consciousness. It is a positive, hopeful tale that a new reader would enjoy reading alone, or even better, reading aloud to an adult.
I am most grateful to Little Tiger Press for sending me a copy of The Missing Bookshop in exchange for an honest review.
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