Without Me?

Without Me? by Kayleen West (Wombat Books)
HB RRP $18.95
ISBN 978-1-921632-53-2
Reviewed by Peta Biggin

A young child is feeling unwanted and unloved, so he decides to run away. As he begins his journey he reflects on the other members of his family and what his leaving will mean to each of them. Eventually he comes to the conclusion that the only way to lessen the impact of his absence is if everyone comes with him! Pretty soon he realises how loved and important he really is and that life would be better for everyone if he just stays home.

On the surface, this book is about realising your importance to other family members and, conversely, their value to you. Underneath that, it also touches on the wisdom of thinking a situation through and seeing things from another’s perspective. There is nothing didactic about the text, however.  Rather it is a gentle and light-hearted story that will appeal to any child.

Wait 1 minute…
If my puppy went without me, who would feed him?

He likes the treats I give him, especially the big juicy bones; you ought to see his tail wag.

I guess I better take him with me.

With beautiful, full-page illustrations throughout this would make a really enjoyable read-aloud book for lower primary children and younger.  The language is also straight-forward enough that it could potentially be attempted by early readers.

Kayleen West’s initial dream was to write and illustrate for children but instead she ventured into a career in fine art and later graphic design. Returning to her original passion in 2009, Kayleen is now a published children’s author and illustrator working on her fourth children’s book. She also writes Christian content for magazines and blogs. She can be found online at: http://kayleenwest.com.au/portfolio/