Mind and Me

By Author / Illustrator

Sunita Chawdhary

Genre

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Age range(s)

Publisher

Knights Of Media

ISBN

9781913311384

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-03-2023

Synopsis

Maya's pet rabbit Pooey is missing! She needs to find her quick, before anyone notices, and she's got some very special help from Mind... but when things start to go wrong, can Maya and her Mind work together to save the day? From debut author-illustrator Sunita Chawdhary, filled with delightful artwork and packed with heart, this early reader is perfect for children aged 5 and up as they move into chapter books.

Reviews

Hayley

Mind and Me by Sunita Chawdhary is a powerful story about a British-Indian girl with a multicultural identity. This fascinating story allows the reader to see how a child's mind works and as the story progresses, we become more aware of how a child's mind develops through challenging situations.

When Maya wakes to find that her beloved rabbit - Pooey - has disappeared, she has to work quick to ensure that nobody finds out he is gone. This is when we are introduced to 'Mind'; Maya and Mind decide to solve the mystery and try to find Pooey. So, they follow the rabbit droppings down stairs and into the kitchen, but this wakes up dad. At first Maya, is calm but when dad asks Maya why she is up so early, she can't find it within herself to tell the truth, so she lies.

This then creates a turmoil of emotions and Maya and Mind begin to worry about the lies and also the fact that Pooey is missing. To make matters worse, dad has cleared away the poo trail that Maya was following and Mum is now awake. It is at this point in the story that we begin to see the dilemmas that children are faced with and how their thoughts and feelings ultimately affects their actions.

I really like how this book introduces meaningful ways for children to talk about their thoughts and feelings and openly encourages them to understand their own mind and how it works. When Maya's twin cousins turn up with Aunt Dolly, Maya and Mind try to keep the situation to themselves and they try to work out where Pooey has gone. But this is hard as emotions are running high and time is running out.

Throughout the book we are introduced to many multicultural elements of Maya's life: language, food and traditions, but it is the power of how to tackle the mind that will inspire young readers to explore their minds and discover the power of their own imagination, that really stands out in this story. Mind and Me has some fantastic illustrations that will engage children when reading it.

177 pages / Reviewed by Hayley Summerfield, teacher