Friday 30 May 2014

City Farm: Laura and Silky by Jessie Williams (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

July 2013, Curious Fox, 144 pages, 9 years +, Review copy

Themes: losing your sight, recovering from serious illness, struggling in new situations, making new friends, feeling useless, finding something you can be good at, trusting your instincts, hope, farm animals full of character,
   
Summary from Curious Fox
Laura’s life changed completely when a case of meningitis left her blind. She wants to show that even though she can’t see, she can still be useful – including helping out the farm’s sick cat.

Nayuleska's thoughts
Having a family member with visual issues, as well as having the possibility for my sight to decline made me doubly keen to see how Laura got on with her new blindness. My heart went out to her as she missed doing certain activities, some simple ones that so many of us take for granted such as selecting our own food, and some more complex ones like having to learn spatial awareness of where things are. Laura kept comparing all that she couldn't do, but her time in City Farm taught her a lot of what she could do. She manages, with a little help after a turbulent start, to find an activity which is unique to her yet helps so many others who visit City Farm.

 I liked how Silky the cat grows so attached to Laura, how she knows not to trip Laura up. When life throws curveballs, especially with illness, having a furry one can make the world seem more hopeful. Cats and other pets know when their owners are having a tough time, and as Laura discovered becoming attached to Silky gave her something else to think about instead her blindness. It was touching that Silky trusts Laura enough to involve her in a huge life event for both Silky and Laura which had me squee-ing away. I teared up over the way Laura manages to forge new friendships, and how some of her dreams come through by the end of the story, despite the goat incident!

Suggested read
Check out more books in the City Farm range which includes Zoe and Swift (Children's, 9 years +, 10E/10E)

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