Author & Illustrators
Number 7 Evergreen street is an absolute joy to read.
The book begins with Penelope Petersham, who lives in a flat in an old, grey building. However, as the story unfolds you meet the wonderful and diverse people sharing the building with her, who add colour and sparkle to the seemingly dull surroundings.
One day however, Penelope begins to worry about the strange yellow diggers and cones arriving outside her flat. Her and the occupants of the flat begin to fear that the building will soon be destroyed. However, Penelope and her friends work together, using their own special talents to try and save their home from the Mayors very big plans.
This story celebrates the power of communities working together and the importance of making friends. At the end of this tale, you see how nature and a little bit of love can make a small flat something very special indeed.
If you want a story for children that teaches us the value of being there for each other, no matter how confident or accomplished you are, this will hit the mark. Its main character is Bea, the fixer of broken things, and she is good at it. When adults around her seek help with fixing their broken things – even with an enormous spaceship – she responds with, “Don’t worry!” and off she goes and fixes it, and they love her for it.
Everything is going well, until Bea comes across a small item that she cannot fix, no matter how hard she tries. All those that she has helped seem far too busy with their working machines, and so she is left on her own to work out what to do, except she cannot find the solution even though it should be so simple. Sadness is encapsulated in Bea’s failure as she withdraws into her workshop and closes it. The value is not in her skill though, and others recognise that. And so she learns how it is the people around her that count.
As well as the range of emotions experienced by the main character, the illustrations on each page will also give the reader a lot to look at and discuss. This is a picturebook to re-read, share and treasure.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments