The Perfect Shelter explores family illness in a way that's easy for young children to understand. The little girl in the story just wants to build a shelter and have fun with her sister, and illness appears to threaten her favourite family activity. But it's always the perfect time to build a shelter and to be together. This is emotional, heartfelt picture book is very special.
Not naming the characters helps young children to identify with the narrator and what she is going through, as it is easy for them to put themselves in her place. I also liked the way changes in the protagonist's life are echoed by the weather - it's easy to fix their shelter after a breeze and a bit of rain, but the storm makes it much harder.
My house seems to have a shelter in every room at the moment, so when this arrived we were quick to snuggle down in one to enjoy this touching story together. While it wasn't written with the current health crisis in mind, I think The Perfect Shelter will still be very comforting for children frightened by the impact of COVID-19. Its themes of shelter and family security will help them feel safe and loved.
Thank you Little Tiger Books for sending us a copy of this story to review.
The Perfect Shelter is written by Clare Helen Welsh and illustrated by Asa Gilland
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