Tadpole Summer

Tadpole Summer is a fantastic and compelling story that sensitively and powerfully explores the emotional issues, not only of loss and bereavement, but of the journey of a family moving through the stages of a life-limiting illness.

The story centres around older sister Frances (Frog) and her love and devotion to her gravely ill sibling, Tad. Whilst being utterly heartbreaking to read at times, Bruton excels in gently and lovingly somehow celebrating the ways in which the family make the most of the final months and moments.

Frog is determined to mark the time with an abundance of new life - carefully creating the perfect conditions for the garden tadpoles to thrive, camping out all summer to document every new bud or creature that the garden reveals; all in order to entrance and delight her sickly brother, cooped up in hospital and then in his room among his medical equipment.

The family and community dynamics are so painfully and beautifully drawn. Bruton highlights both the divides that can grow between family members as each individual copes in their own way, but also the ultimate strength and courage that her characters draw from each other as the hard summer draws to an end. There is beauty and such warmth amongst the pain and tears - making the book relevant and perfectly pitched to support young readers to experience and explore such depth of feeling.

Bruton creates a colourful and safe backdrop for the story to unfold. Tad and Frog's curious new neighbour, Ari, with their own emotional wellbeing struggles, is a glorious technicolour vision who may state the harsh facts, statistics and questions about Tad's life expectancy, but whose character allows the reality of the situation feel non-threatening although inevitable.

Compelling, moving and poignant, I loved Tadpole Summer. Author Catherine Bruton is a wonderfully empathetic and nurturing author who feels very much like a steady, safe guide through deep, big emotions for her young readers.

272 pages / Reviewed by Jenny Caddick, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+

In Tadpole Summer, Frances has been nicknamed Frog for as long as she can remember; probably because her little brother is Tad, short for Taddeus. She's big and strong, he's small and weak but Frog adores him. She is his self-appointed guardian as well as his playmate. This year, as a late spring finally arrives in a blaze of sunshine, Tad is in hospital and Frog decides to camp in the garden until he's home. She knows he has a life-threatening condition, but she has no idea what this the summer has in store.

A warm understanding of quiet children who carry their troubles hidden from the world is interleaved with deep sympathy for the natural world. Seasonal changes in the local ecology provide the backdrop to the story. Front and centre sits the life cycle of frogs. 'Why do some tadpoles grow strongly and others die?' wonders Frog, subtly echoing the wider narrative. Behind the story lie complex ideas explored in depth.

Tad's condition is genetic; that much is clearly explained. But the theme of how our lives are affected by our genes is tenderly illustrated elsewhere. For example, there is a poignant moment when Frog realises her hands are like her father's and that their similar characters affect the way they both deal with fear and heartache.

For the dedicated English teacher there are nice intertextual references to Seamus Heaney's famous poem, Death of a Naturalist. I enjoyed the way that late in the book the author introduces Grandad's family name as Heaney.

This is a gentle story rather than a page-turner, written from the heart and from the perspective of Frog. It smoothly unpicks her state of mind and addresses difficult emotional content with a light touch. The theme of loss is approached with honesty but also optimism in the face of grief. It would be useful to build empathy in children who have not yet encountered loss but you could also use it (with caution) with children who have experienced bereavement to help build resilience.

272 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 9+