Lost in a Good Book

Published: 31st May 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Illustrator: Dougal MacPherson
Pages: 32
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

One sunny day, Errol finds that Thomas the Teddy is sad, and Errol can’t figure out why. Then Thomas the Teddy finally tells Errol what Teddy has been afraid to say: ‘In my heart, I’ve always known that I’m a girl Teddy, not a boy Teddy. I wish my name was Tilly.’ And Errol says, ‘I don’t care if you’re a girl teddy or a boy teddy! What matters is that you are my friend.’

This is a beautiful story about Thomas the teddy, his friend Errol and Thomas’ desire to be his true self.

The narrative is a lot simpler than what I was expecting, but it is still a great story because it doesn’t complicate anything. We’re shown Thomas the Teddy’s fears about not having a friend anymore when he tells his friend his secret, but we’re also shown acceptance and love when he does.

Walton shows that nothing changes in teddy and Errol’s routine, it is exactly the same and she shows that telling people and showing them who you really are can be easy and matter of fact as well. Highlights have to be how Teddy’s friends immediately switch to her new pronouns when she tells them she would like to be Tilly instead of Thomas.

The illustrations by MacPherson are adorable, simple but descriptive as well, and I love that Teddy and Errol have this fun relationship that they continue to have when Errol learns Teddy would like to be Tilly.

Because it is a simple narrative it doesn’t take away the importance, but it is an easy to understand story for kids and with all the main moments covered by Walton’s story it is a great way to explore the topic. As the subtitle on the book says, it is a gentle guide to gender and friendship.

You can purchase Introducing Teddy via the following

Booktopia | Book Depository

Dymocks | Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust