The Five of Us
by Quentin Blake
(Tate Publishing, 2014)
Inspired by a folk tale about friends who each have a special gift, The Five of Us is about five children with different disabilities who save the day during an outing. The children’s disabilities are not mentioned specifically in the text, but nor are they side-lined. The book also embraces ethnic diversity. And it’s a book for all children, with that special Quentin Blake story-telling touch we have come to expect.
Publisher’s blurb: ‘The Five of Us is a captivating tale of adventure, friendship and teamwork from one of Britain’s best-loved illustrators. Angie, Ollie, Simona, Mario and Eric are five fantastic friends, each of whom has an unusual ability. Disaster strikes on a day out to the countryside but, working together and combining their individual powers, the Fantastic Five save the day. Teeming with Quentin Blake’s characteristic sense of fun and his exuberant illustrations, The Five of Us is also a powerful, though subtle, reminder that the world is a better place when we focus on what we can do, rather than on what we can’t.’
Read more about how the book came to be in Alex Strick’s article for the UK’s Booktrust.
