The Heavy Bag
The Heavy Bag explores the feelings of grief.
It is being used by families, schools, UNICEF, hospices and therapists all over the world.
The Heavy Bag follows a little girl called Enid who has just lost her Granddad. As Enid goes out for a walk with lots of different emotions whooshing around inside her head she feels the weight of the heavy bag that she is carrying. Along her journey Enid comes across different kinds of people who encourage her to talk about how she is feeling, with each meeting she offloads an item from her bag that represents a stage of grief and talks about how she is feeling, inevitably as she takes each item from her bag, it feels lighter and she can walk along her journey easier.
Teaching Resources
The Slow Superhero
Maud is a little girl who wants to race through the day because she wants to be a Superhero and superheroes are fast, aren’t they?
Until one day Maud finds friendship in the forest with Tree. Tree is a wise old tree who has lived and seen a lot. Feeling sad, Maud tells Tree how she wishes she could be the fastest girl around.
However, through a gentle rhyme, Tree helps Maud to realise all that she has seen in her day when she slowed down because – “You can still be super you can still have powers but slowing down increases the hours”.
Follow Maud on a journey of discovery of how slowing down in her day can help to discover the world that is at her feet!
Mijn Huis Mijn Thuis
“ Mijn Huis Mijn Thuis ” is about Lara’s ordinary house, one of those that everyone has in their street. And how jealous Lara is of the beautiful and nice houses of her friends!
Fortunately Grandma knows what to do. She takes Lara on a long search through the house. And guess what? Her boring house is very special because of the many treasures and memories she discovers in it!
Like Lara, readers will realise that it doesn’t matter if you live in a townhouse, an apartment or a boat… . It’s the people who live in it and everything they experience together that make your home the most special place!
This book invites children to go on a treasure hunt through their own home. Like Lara, they can look for valuable memories, such as longitudinal lines on the wall or the tree in the garden that Grandpa planted as a seed.
” My house, my home ” is a wonderfully large picture book (24 x 24 cm) to look at for hours and to read before going to sleep many times.
Available in Dutch via Van Driel Publishing as Mijn Huis Mijn Thuis.
UK and foreign rights available
Isbn 9789493200777 I Hardcover I 32 pages I 24 x 24 cm I 4+
Available from 1 July 2023
Cecile’s Circus
Cecile is a young girl, growing up in her family’s circus. De Jong’s Circus has been in her family for generations, steeped in tradition. But due to decreasing audience numbers, the circus is at risk of closing! Cecile’s parents decide for her to join the nightly performances, in a last-ditch attempt to save the show! However, Cecile, being Cecile, decides to perform her own acts and not the traditional ones. Her parents are horrified! What will the audience think? Will this be the end of De Jong’s family circus?
‘Cecile’s Circus’ is a cheerful story about a spirited girl who inspires readers to stay true to themselves
Jumping Hurdles
Bea is a determined and resourceful 7-year-old girl. She has just been diagnosed with Dyspraxia, which she still doesn’t quite understand yet. What she does know is that sometimes things feel a little harder for her to do, unlike her friends. Bea’s been told she’s a “little clumsy”, so sports day might be more challenging than she first thought. But through her determination and willpower, Bea realises that Dyspraxia hasn’t replaced her other strengths. She can still reach the end of the race; she needs to use her other qualities.
Jumping Hurdles is an uplifting picture book that highlights one girl’s reality of having a diagnosis. A beautiful SEL book that promotes positivity for children with Dyspraxia whilst teaching empathy and understanding for those who don’t.
Ebbs & Flows
EBBS & FLOWS is a fantastic picture book, one that will open up so many conversations with children about empathy and emotional literacy.
We want to help children to understand how all of our emotions change; sometimes they are up and sometimes they are down, and how that is all just part of life.
