The Thing At 52 – What a Mystery
What an intriguing title – The Thing At 52. It’s a book that yearns to be read. From the mysterious title to the exquisite, wispy, dream-like cover you know this book will be magical.
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Not What I Expected
It certainly wasn’t the book I was expecting. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t this. We loved the illustrations in the book. They’re wonderfully designed and I don’t know how Richard manages to make something printed in 2D seem so 3D and fluffy.
The Thing At 52 Synopsis
A little girl lives on a street and notices a Thing at number 52. Thing is lonely and the girl and her mum befriend Thing. The themes of loneliness, community and befriending are ones that are very close to my heart.
The Power of a Smile
It’s important to teach our children how to be safe but equally the value of giving a smile to a stranger, the person you pass in the street.
Dealing with Grief
As the story progresses Thing let’s the girl know that ‘all things have to go sometime’. This is where the story very gently touches on the theme of grief in a gentle, nurturing way.
I like that ‘Thing’ could represent anyone in a child’s life and it would be a wonderful book to help bring about discussion or just hold the space if children have experienced loss.
I know my daughter certainly saw parallels with the death of her Grandad especially as it comes up to when it would have been his birthday. There’s something incredibly comforting about this book; like a warm, tender hug.
If you’d like ideas on how to talk to children about death and other book recommendations head to my blog post here.
For more inside images and to purchase the book use this link.
Thanks to the publisher for kindly sending this one for review.