Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Reading Time
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Highly Recommended
      • CBCA Short Listed
      • Early Childhood Books
      • Younger Readers
      • Intermediate Readers
      • Older Readers
      • ANZAC books
      • Great Read Alouds
      • Information Books
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Picture Books
      • Professional Development
    • Interviews
    • Suggestions
    • News
    • Meet The Review Team
    • Contact Us
    Reading Time
    You are at:Home»Reviews»Highly Recommended»Fergus and Delilah

    Fergus and Delilah

    0
    By Admin on June 6, 2017 Highly Recommended, Picture Books

    Erin Knutt (text),  Misa Alexander (illus.),  Fergus and Delilah,  Self-published,  1 Nov 2016,  30pp.,  $24.00 (hbk),  ISBN: 9780994605214

    Fergus and Delilah is a beautiful story about inclusion, friendship, and understanding that we are all ‘wired a little differently’. It begins with Delilah, scoping out a new park, where she could see many potential friends:

    “The kids were like her,

    with heads that were square,

    and heartbeats and brains,

    and wires for hair.”

    The story cleverly shares how Delilah makes lots of different friends, but struggles to connect with the little boy in blue, Fergus, who doesn’t speak, and whose cables are tangled and twisted. Not put off by her past attempts, Delilah continues trying to befriend Fergus, at last breaking through by joining with his spinning and dancing – communicating in a way other than speech. Fergus, the back page tells us, is on the Autism Spectrum, and his tangled wires mean that while loud noises and shouting confuse him, he loves dancing, spinning, playing in the park and finding small spots to hide in.

    Having a friend like Delilah helps the children in the park realise that they can all play together, enjoying each other’s company even though each of them is ‘wired differently’. The metaphor of computer cables visually expresses how each person experiences the world differently, but that it is possible to find ways to connect and build friendship, if we are just patient and resilient, like Delilah.

    Written in rhyme, with colourful, child-like illustrations, Fergus and Delilah is a wonderful platform for introducing the concepts of difference, inclusion and friendship. It is supported by a website, which provides further information about inclusivity, as well as teaching activities and discussion prompts.

    The author and illustrator, two Mums from Northern New South Wales, have recognised the power of the picture book to educate and entertain, and hope that Fergus and Delilah will teach children about inclusivity, and lead to greater understanding and compassion. A must-have picture book for every school library and family collection!

    Reviewed by Kay Oddone

    Related Posts

    It’s Up to Us

    The Ghost Locket

    Enough Love?

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Themes
    • Curriculum
    Action adventure Airplanes Alphabet Anxiety autism Bullying CBCA Awards Coming of age Dystopian emotions family fantasy friendship grief Historical humour magic Mystery Post apocalyptic Readers Cup reluctant readers school Sci-Fi series of books siblings Sport Starting school Teacher Notes
    ANZAC Australian animals Australian history Biography Culture & Diversity Disabilities First Nations Geography health Humanities mental health Poetry Reconciliation resilience Science STEM Stolen Generation sustainability Wordless books



    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    Recent Posts
    • It’s Up to Us
    • The Bravest Word
    • The Ghost Locket
    • The Ghost Locket
    • Enough Love?
    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    © Copyright 2021 The Children’s Book Council of Australia - All rights reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Posting....