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The Playdate

Clara Dackenberg

Lantana (4+) 9781836290179 (Paperback)

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There’s a dissonance between the story that the text tells and the illustrations.  A simple playdate between two young children and the mothers who facilitate this, provides a thought-provoking social commentary where inequality is at the fore. There’s a multi-layered nature to the illustrations which encourages deft visual literacy skills to explore and unpick, inviting readers to notice what goes unsaid and the weight of everyday moments. 

Themes:

  • Friendship 
  • Family 
  • Social class 
  • Inequality 
  • Play

Illustrator Interview

Shadowers’ Challenge

Submit Review

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Your artwork will be submitted to your Group Leader for approval before it is published on the Carnegie website. It will be published with your first name and the name of your shadowing group on a public webpage.

Clara Dackenberg

Clara Dackenberg is a Swedish illustrator and visual artist. She studied in Gothenburg and Stockholm before debuting as a picture book illustrator. Her work has been chosen for the Contemporary Swedish Illustrators exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Shadowers' reviews and artwork

Interesting book and happy ending. I would rate it 4 and a half stars.

Anna Lily

LomondSchoolHelensburgh

Interesting story line and good ending. I would rate this 4 and a half stars.

Anna Lily

LomondSchoolHelensburgh

I liked the book. It was fun to read, two kids went out on a playdate. I think it would be good for younger children to read. It shows lots of messages for younger children to understand, a moral to the story which can be used to help children understand.

Iliyan

Brockhill Book Club

I thought the illustrations were incredibly good, and the story it tells how they are best friends but she ends up taking something from the boy was a good way to show parents showing empathy and understanding to their child. In one of the scenes I liked that the background was detailed as well as the hidden details that I noticed.

Leila

Brockhill Book Club

I think that the book is good becasue it shows different perspectives of different people's lives and experiences. It shows how kids think differently to adults as they play servants and kings the opposite way around to how their life actually is. Their mums are opposite to what they are playing. It shows that even though people might be different due to money, but really everyone is actually the same and shouldn't treat people differently.

Tessa

Brockhill Book Club

I feel like the book was quite sad, the girls didn't actually realise that it wasn't actually a playdate but the mum was going to clean the house. I liked the whole book in general, but I did like how the mum tried to make it fun for her child whislt that she is on a job. It really showed how tricky some things are for single mums and how they have to work so hard. And how lonely it might be for the child. I liked how it showed how the child is aware in their own way that they know about the finance situation with their mum and tries to make her not upset by it. 4/5 for message behind the book - I think that younger children might need a little bit more in terms of explaining what is going on really, but it is an important story.

Holly

Brockhill Book Club

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was such a sweet story! It had a really nice storyline to it. It was very enjoyable and relaxing to read. The illustrations were very detailed and I loved the watercolour artwork - it was really cool! It was so cute, I loved the book. The message of the book did help me learn about other people's experiences

Sophie

Brockhill Book Club