posted on 29 Aug 2024

Step Into My Shoes by Alkisti Halikia, with illustrations by Fotini Tikkou

Matou lives in a quite suburb just outside the huge metropolis of Paris – where her mom works. Her school isn’t far away and now she’s old enough to make her own way there and back everyday – which is good because her mom hasn’t got the time to take her and pick her up at the end of the day. And, she’s got a kind neighbour, Madam Sibon and her dog Apollo, who keep an eye on her and make sure she gets home safely.

One day, Matou is heading home from school a little earlier than usual and one day as she passes the mosque that she usually has to hurry past, she notices all the pairs of shoes that have been left outside. One pair of trainers catch her eye and, daringly, she decided she could try them on. They felt wonderful - but just at that moment the doors open and she hurriedly has to change back into her own shoes.

But now Matou is enthralled by the shoes and their owners – as often as she can, she waits and watches seeing if the person who claims the shoes matches the pair she has picked out.

Then, the young girl is promised a special treat – a day with her mom to go  shopping (for shoes obviously) and spend some quality time together. She dashes home – no stopping at the mosque today – to be ready for when her mom gets home early. But there’s a disappointment around the corner because her dad is the one who is home first and he’s got the bad news – Matou’s mom can’t keep their appointment because she has to stay for work.

Perhaps understandably, the girl is upset and when her mom gets home she’s determined not to co-operate however much her mom tries to explain that letting her down just couldn’t be avoided.

But one phrase her mom uses finally gets through…”step into my shoes for a moment”… and reconciliation comes when Matou takes the offer literally. This is a story about how we can develop empathy for others by stepping out of our own world for a while and imagining the kind of life others lead - with their often different views and priorities.

Skilfully translated from the original Greek by Konstantine Matsoukas, the story is beautifully illustrated by Fotini Tikkou who is a ceramic artist as well as a children’s book illustrator.

Available from Lantana Publishing, you will be able to get a copy from your independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have it on their shelves.

 

Terry Potter

August 2024