Zoom

Dannika Patterson

Ross Morgan

Ford Street, 2024

32pp., pbk., RRP $A17.95

9781922696427

Just like Alexander, Tom was having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day.  Ripped paper and spilled paint in art class, a dropped lunchbox, coming second last in the race – all he can see are the negatives that have made this day the worst and they are rolling and roiling around in his head just like the storm clouds with their lightning and thunder that are gathering outside.   He picks up the camera that Grandpa gave him, zooming in and out on the clouds, seeing different things in focus, but not the big picture.  But then his mum comes in with a big plate of chunky choc-chip cookies, and just waits until Tom’s troubles pour out like the sheets of rain from the clouds outside.  When he is done, using the camera and her wisdom, she shows Tom how to put the negatives into perspective rather than sharp focus, helping him to see the bigger picture…

It happens to all of us – we can have a miserable experience, a tough conversation, an unexpected change of plans – and it is that that we focus on for the rest of the day, replaying things in our heads until they become so much bigger than they ever were and overshadowing any of the other good things that might have occurred or that we might have done.  But while Tom’s mother has the maturity to help Tom see the “disasters” for what they are, little ones are not so able, particularly those who are prone to expecting perfection and becoming anxious, upset and full of self-doubt if their expectations are not met.  So, through both the storyline and the illustrations, and with guidance from an adult who could be aided by the teachers’ notes, they can learn to take a step back, to view the incident through a metaphoric camera lens (although using the real thing on real objects to begin with would be even better)  to see how it fits in the bigger picture thus building up their resilience and their confidence. 

In those teaching notes,  illustrator Ross Morgan draws attention to the presence of Tom’s labrador who first appeared in Hedgehog the Wonder Dog  and who now gives Tom comfort in this story, so also raising the concept of helping to see the bright side of a situation – conveyed in the three text-less double-spreads in the story so the reader sees the reasons for and the consequences of Tom’s calamities – as well as actively seeking those things that can restore a sense of peace, safety and joy when  things go awry.  This is a great opportunity to employ text-to-self strategies to encourage the reader/listener to identify how they can take themselves to their happy place when things are not going so well – known as glimmers in the world of psychology – so they can restore and keep their calm.

According to official sources, one in seven of our young people aged 4–17 years have experienced a mental illness, a much greater number than previously, and thus, any story that helps parents and teachers help children to develop strategies that help them cope with life’s realities can only be a positive addition to the collection particularly as we help them become more aware of their strengths and capabilities, their emotions, their triggers (and the glimmers), and their responses and how to manage these appropriately.