A brilliant, helpful and supportive teacher is priceless. It doesn’t matter how old they are either. The young can teach the old, the old can educate the young. And in life there are lots of lessons to learn…walking, riding a bike, watching from the sidelines, leaving home, letting go. Life is full of moments…big, little, happy, sad. And with a good teacher, young or old, everyone can be brave…
The Teeny Tiny Stevies, the acoustic sisters who bring cool tunes to the kids, give their catchy, smile-inducing song Had You To Teach Me the picture book treatment. Full of warmth, family and love, this is a gentle and empathy-filled celebration of those little everyday moments, feelings and experiences that are a big deal to both children and their doting parents.
Told over the course of several years - time stops for no-one and children (and adults) age quickly - we follow a family as time passes from baby steps to riding a bike, sports comps to climbing trees, the cinema to the footy field, and eventually a new home (but not for everyone).
Beginning with the child’s perspective and ending with a view through the lens of the loving parents, life’s journey and those moments that matter are told from differing viewpoints. Mum ponders the emptiness of her body since giving birth, a frazzled-looking dad is overwhelmed by all of the demands of parenthood, the young toddler tentatively takes her first steps. Later, mum watches on from the fence of the footy field with the realisation that perhaps she is no longer needed as once she was, up in the tree a confident girl does not want her parents too close by (that would just cramp her style). These changing dynamics of the family - the close bonds that are formed, the child’s desire for independence, the parents’ worries about no longer being needed and one day having to let go - will ring true with families and are a reminder to cherish each and every moment together.
Illustrations in colours that convey emotions and feelings are clever and the delightful lyrics will have children and adults merrily singing together, ‘I’ll move away and say “I’m OK, I got this, I’ll show you how brave I can be, Cause I had you to teach me, Cause I had you to teach me”.’ The closing lines will probably have the adults wiping that speck of dust out of the corner of their eye (best to have a tissue on hand). A lovely read to be shared as a family. Recommended for 3+. With huge thanks to Harper Collins and ABC Books for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.
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March 2024
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