Over the past few months, I have been reaching out to practitioners connected with my subject area. If I could get some feedback from someone who teaches, reads and nurtures young children, then I may be able to use it to help shape my project even further.
( I have known Emma for 5 years)
I sent Emma Byrne my proposal and some interview questions on the 28.8.20
How long have you been in your profession of teaching early years?
I have been teaching for over 13 years. I am currently Nursery Lead / Assistant Head and EYFS lead and SENCO.
Do you think this is an appropriate subject to be reading to young children or is it too traumatic?
I looked at your outline with interest. I totally agree that it's a difficult and traumatic time for all when families break down and it's not something often covered in Early Years books but yes it has been done before.
Are there currently any books that you read to the children that deal with such issues of separated parents?
There is a book called 'Two Homes' which looks at divorce/ separation. The doorway itself is a really nice image but it strikes me more of mystery and the transformation beyond the door. It's true that children can find the change and visiting 2 homes very unsettling.
(I had already come across this book in my research)
In your experience, do you think girls or boys are more sensitive to dealing with such issues?
The choice of a little girl as the lead character further reduces the potential audience. It's a brave choice but the reason most kid's books have animals as their lead protagonists. It seems that the action in the respective houses is more interesting than the doorway.
Do you think that this concept could make a book that parents could be interested in?
I don't really buy that 2 adults would invest in sharing a pair of books in this proposed manner. It seems to me that the idea is overcomplicated and quite narrow in its audience. I do understand that you said about it being to help the parents support the child but I can only really look at it from what would be more interesting/accessible for a child.
Could you recommend anything that may be missing from my proposal?
You could include how happy everyone is with the new arrangement. Personally, I loved going to see my Dad when my parents divorced! No more listening to them fighting and we got to do lovely things together!
There is a massive movement of diversity and inclusion at the moment including celebrations of all kinds of families. Something about a child feeling sad and angry about having to go to 2 different houses but the magic being that they are allowed to wash the car and build things for example in one house and cook and garden in another or one has a magic garden and the other has a magic garage/ best of both worlds type approach may be more accessible in my mind although it would be fun to have sweets allowed in one but messy play in another. They could have a dialogue where they stay at Grandmas or friend's houses too, in my experience lots of children from broken families don't get to visit parents in 2 homes so something about what makes where they go special could be good. A book both parents could read would open discussion with the child about what they liked about the respective homes; it could include a fantasy dream house of the child's making.
I do understand that you said about it being to help the parents support the child but I can only really look at it from what would be more interesting/accessible for a child.
Of course, this is just my opinion as a practitioner. We often sit in school and talk about the massive gaps in literature for children. I can give you a list!!!
Anyway, good luck with it, it's definitely an interesting line of thought and I hope some of what I've written is helpful.
Em
Reflections.
This interview has been very helpful. Both in establishing and reaffirming concepts that I had but it has also made me aware of some project obstacles I must now face.
It had not occurred to me that some of these parents may not have any relationship at all. I have been going from my own experiences so much I need to learn that not every situation will be the same as mine. Some children do not get to see a parent for sometimes weeks, months or years.
I would disagree with Emma on the point of having a girl as my lead protagonist may reduce a larger audience. A lot of the books, I have researched had both boy and girls as the lead character but I will take a closer look into this. There seems to be a stream of identities I could utilise pirates, animals etc I’m not sure it would have quite the same impact without ‘real people’, but this is certainly something I will be exploring.
The point Emma made about Grandma’s house is something I have been thinking about already. Perhaps the magic door could be a gateway not just for parents but the wider family.
A reference was also made about “the massive gaps in literature for children”. I really hope that some follow up questions may be able to shelve some light on this.
Overall, I really think this interview has benefitted my project. I regret not setting more questions as I was apprehensive to put any more burdens on people in these current times. Emma’s answers were very comprehensive and I feel that I can use this as a platform to move onto the phase of my project.
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