All of us on this blog tour were given early access to the Empathy Lab books of the year list and asked to choose one that we have read and loved. For me, one book jumped out at me…
Call Me Lion by Camilla Chester & illustrated by Irina Avgustinovich. This book already fills me with huge guilt. For some reason I let it slide down my reading pile and it ended up at the back of my book cupboard. But in December I saw it cropping up in some ‘best of the year’ lists. Sheepishly I dug it out from my cupboard and got reading… Now I feel that I need to shout about the book from the rooftops!
So what is the story about?
Leo dreams of performing in the West End. He loves dancing but he has a problem stopping him from meeting his goal. His Selective Mutism means he can’t actually dance in front of an audience and he can’t speak to anyone other than his closest family from the comfort of his own home.
Having taught a few children with selective mutism, I feel that the book gave me a real insight into the lives of those children. In the same way that Libby Scott’s ‘Can You See Me’ gave me a deeper look into autism from the child’s point of view.
Leo meets his new next door neighbour, Richa, who is loud and overconfident. The two of them are instantly drawn to the other and a beautiful friendship begins to flourish. Leo isn’t the only one with a problem, Richa can’t read and has been keeping it a secret. The two of them give each other the strength and courage needed to reach their ambitions and the whole story is brilliant and heart warming.
The book is a short read at only 208 pages, which makes it a perfect class read. It really embodies what Empathy lab believe in, which is building understanding of each other through stories.
I really cannot recommend it enough and I urge you to read the book and share it far and wide. Don’t live with the same regret that I did.
Mister Bodd 