Product Description

'Sally Grindley excels in stories that extend a child's emotional experience without becoming sentimental or precious' The Scotsman When William moves house he does not like his new room. He does not like his new garden and he wants to go back to his old house. But moving is always hard and William's mum persuades him that he would feel much better if he helped choose the wallpaper for his room. Soon William is cheering up - because he chose dinosaur wallpaper - and dinosaurs are his favourite. And he is cheering up because he has met the boy next door with whom he is soon having a great time playing in the tree that they share. Finally William's mother has decorated William's room and he loves it! But just one question remains unanswered. And you have to read the book to find out what it is! A fabulous picture book with brilliantly integrated art and words, working together to masterful, and tear-jerking, effect.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #495518 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 1 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
A New Room For Williamis a sensitively worded and illustrated picture book about the fears a small child faces when his little world is turned upside down by moving house.

Naturally enough, little William is dazed and confused at the turn his little life has taken, and doesn't understand why the things he has grown to know and love must change. He finds his new room dark and daunting enough, but the fact that his dad hasn't moved into the new house with himself and his mother is causing great concern. He soon finds ways to cheer himself up, but one big question still remains unanswered...

A beautifully moving picture book that deals delicately with a marriage break up, A New Room for William is a sensitive portrayal of the thoughts and emotions of a little boy in the midst of a dramatic life-change. Magical, washed illustrations combine with simple, easy to follow text, helping to make this book an unforgettable and informative read that doesn't preach or patronise, but simply explores the worries of a little boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders. A great book for sharing, this touching picture book is ideal for explaining the difficulties of a marriage break-up, but is also a simply lovely story dealing with change in a straightforward, no nonsense manner. (Age 3 and over.) --Susan Harrison

From Publishers Weekly
"I like my old room better," says William at the beginning of this gentle picture book about adjusting to change. But by the time he helps his mother put up his new dinosaur wallpaper and makes friends with a new neighbor, William learns to like his new room after all. The tale takes a surprising twist at the end when William asks, "Will Dad let me choose the paper for my room at his new house?" Grindley (What Are Friends For?) charts William's gradual change in attitude toward his new home with warmth and sympathy. Occasionally the dialogue seems heavy-handed ("What did it matter that this jungle gym was in Tom's [his next-door neighbor's] yard and not his?" asks the narrator. "Jungle gyms were only fun if you had someone to play with, and [William] didn't have a friend next door at his old house"), but Thompson's (Bumpety Bump) mixed media, cartoonlike illustrations of William's evolving surroundings help to cement the hero's newfound state of contentment. William's Tintin-like countenance, the joy he finds in his next-door neighbor's company and the cheerful, crayon-bright wallpaper dinosaurs are appealing enough to provide plenty of reassurance to young readers facing similar unwanted changes. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-William liked his old room in his old house. He liked the view from his window, the jungle gym in his backyard, and the place where he and his father had a garden. Though all he sees from his new room are weeds and laundry, there is a boy waving from a tree. William's mother lets him pick out dinosaur wallpaper, he makes friends with the boy next door, and he begins to settle into his new home. The gentle narrative concludes when his divorced mother comes to tuck him in and he quietly wonders, "Will Dad let me choose the paper for my room at his new house?" "I'm sure he will," she tells him. Colorful, charming cartoon-style, mixed-media illustrations are a comforting complement to this story of a child adjusting to many changes.
Doris Gebel, Northport-East Northport Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.