posted on 15 Feb 2016

Through my Window by Tony Bradman and Eileen Browne

I have such fond memories of discovering this book when I was a nursery teacher in inner city Birmingham thirty years ago. Believe it or not, it was then virtually impossible to find any story books that included children from families where one parent was from an ethnic minority. This was extremely frustrating as many of the children at my school were from ' mixed' or what later came to be termed ' dual heritage' backgrounds.

I am pretty sure that I bought it from a representative from the then very new Letterbox Library who brought a selection of wonderfully different books for staff and parents to buy. Seeing this cheerful little girl, Jo, looking out of the window directly at me from the cover really cheered me up. I used the book many times over the years with lots of different children but had somehow managed to mislay it along the way. So when I rediscovered it recently I was curious to see whether it still had a positive effect on me.

Well, it certainly did. It is a pleasingly packaged little book with the face of Jo repeated firstly on the initial page in an oval frame looking away from the reader and then on the title page in a circular frame as she peeps out from behind the curtain. The colours are so warm with lots of pinks and yellows throughout to help build this cosy atmosphere. On the first two pages we learn that she is ill and has to stay at home with her dad to look after her as her mum has to go to work. My goodness, a mother going out to work - how extraordinary! Actually it is still very rare to find a picture book where this happens despite it being the experience of most children. Another unusual feature that I remember was that this couple looked quite young and trendy for picture book parents, mum with her beaded hair and dad with his shaggy Paul Weller look. As she waves goodbye we get a hint of the busy street outside with a Punk strolling across the road and a women running with a pushchair. The family clearly lives in a maisonette, again very ordinary, a bit shabby and understated.

I'm sure we can all remember the guilty pleasure of a day at home being fussed over. As long as one didn't feel too unwell - it was quite a novelty to lie on the sofa with a muddle of toys and books, to eat lunch off a tray etc. You can almost feel the fugginess and stuffiness of the small room contrasted with what looks like a very windy Autumn day outside. The gentle rhythm of the story lies in Jo's anticipation of her mothers return with a promised surprise at the end of the day. As she regularly looks out of the living room window she sees all the friendly people living and working in her evidently multicultural community. The next door neighbour, Mrs Ali drops in wth some comics and stays for a cup of tea. This is an affirmation of peaceful inner city living which was ( and continues to be ) the real life experience of many children. 

The toys that Jo dreams about will be very nostalgic for anyone now in their thirties: Postman Pat and Battlecat amongst others. As the day drags on boredom sets in but mum is true to her word and when the present is unwrapped at the end of the day it is a doctors outfit - perfect. The picture of the three of them sitting contentedly on the sofa with tired mum's shoes kicked off shouts ' happy family' to me

I think I appreciate this book even more now that I am looking at it from more of an aesthetic perspective. There is a recent anniversary edition published in paperback but I am going to treasure my newly bought first edition with its creamy pages and depth of colours. I am also going to make sure that I hunt down the others in the collection about Jo, a little girl who is very much located in the 1980s but whose childhood is still one to be cherished and enjoyed by young readers today.

 

Karen Argent

February 2016