Simon Sock

A truly heart-warming, feel good story. Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet have taken a simple concept - a pair of socks - and used this to create a wonderful story about friendship with undertones of discrimination and prejudice. Simon is a lonely sock, he doesn't have anyone to play with and he dreams of finding the perfect friend to roller skate, hula hoop and bounce with. Discovering that he is an 'odd sock' he begins his search for his matching pair. It leads him down a path of discovery until he eventually finds his matching half. Unfortunately, his pair does not enjoy the same things as Simon and he is lonely once again. That is until he meets Betty the Banana who does enjoy the same things as Simon and the story ends with a lovely message, 'even though they didn't match, they really did make a great pair'. With beautiful, colourful illustrations, Simon Sock will capture the imaginations of all young children. Children will be thrilled with all the possibilities Ted brings for Simon to pair up with - a snake, a straw a pair of Dad's pants - and children will giggle with delight when Simon eventually finds a friend. My son had plenty of questions after reading this, as the message about differences is clear enough for children to grasp and this opened a great dialogue for us about prejudice and discrimination (but in child speak). With language suitable for young children, I would recommend this from birth upwards as the colours and pitch of your voice will excite any child. My young children also enjoyed spotting the spider hidden on each page. A simple, but cleverly written story line that adults will enjoy reading to their children at any time of the day. Picture book / Ages 3+ / Reviewed by Joanna Hewish, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 3+