Tilda tries again by Tom Percival

The fifth in the excellent Big Bright Feelings series, supporting well being and positive behaviours in young children, will remind everyone of times they have felt that their world has turned upside down, and this inviting book supports the strategies used to get their world righted again. Tilda is happy; she has her friends and her books and her toys - all is right with the world, but one day it turns upside down.

She becomes morose, does not want to see her friends, or read her books or play with her toys. Things are far more difficult than ever before. Everything is just too hard. She prefers instead to stay in her room, alone. But one day she spies a ladybird struggling to get itself on its feet again. It is on its back, legs in the air, writhing with concentration. Tilda cannot see any way that she can help, so watches anxiously. But the ladybird keeps trying and eventually finds itself the right way up again and flies off.

This is a lightbulb moment for Tilda. If the little ladybird can do it, so can she. And she does..

A wonderfully uplifting story of one child’s struggle to remain positive in the face of something which has overturned her world, the story will have relevance in all classrooms and homes where well being is valued and resilience encouraged. No reason is given for her world being turned upside down, but children will recognise times when their equanimity is sullied, and sympathise with Tilda and her efforts at righting herself.

And Tom’s illustrations showing Tilda in the extremes of her feelings, happiness and contentment when with her friends or with her books, and sorrow at being alone, are realised in the most apt of images.

The titles in this series can be found here and are worth seeking out. 

Themes: Well being, Mental health, Resilience, Depression.

Fran Knight