The Dam

The Dam starts as a father wakes his daughter, Kathryn, at dawn, telling her to bring her fiddle. He leads her to the valley where the dam is almost complete and starts sharing memories of the places they pass. Pulling the boards from a doorway, they enter a deserted cottage where her father tells Kathryn to play for the past and the future and together they fill each empty house with music until the day darkens and they walk home. Powerful in both pictures and words, The Dam is, quite simply, beautiful. Based on the true story of the flooding of the Kielder Valley in Northumberland, the book is a celebration of music and its magic, of keeping memories and creating new ones. The text is relatively simple, allowing the incredible illustrations to capture the essence of the place, both before and after the flooding. The pictures change from predominantly sepia tones before the flooding to those with more colour as new life and fresh joy is found on the newly created, artificial lake. I love books that capture these special, often little known, moments of our history and keep them alive to be enjoyed. The sacrifice made by those whose homes were lost is not forgotten, but the story does not end there. The illustrations could easily be used to develop writing, particularly the small vignettes which each capture a moment in time perfectly, allowing the reader to develop their own narrative. 32 pages / 7+ / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+