Thumbs up for The Can Caravan from Crays Hill School!

The Can Caravan picture book for children aged 4-9, written by Romani Storyteller Richard O’Neill and illustrated by Cindy Kang, celebrates the traditional Traveller virtues of resilience, adaptability, loyalty and independence.

The Travellers’ Times contacted the publisher Child’s Play, and asked them to send some copies of the book to Crays Hill Primary School, Essex, who had kindly supported some of their pupils to review it. Crays Hill Primary School and its dedicated staff serves the parents and children of a large local Irish Traveller community.

The Can Caravan is about Mrs Tolen who broke her hip and Janie wants to help, writes Cherisse in her review. She helps by making a new caravan out of recycling, writes Destiny. Janie did not want Mrs Tolen to go into a care home so she built her a can caravan, writes Ina. Mrs Tolen, who broke her hip has to go into a care home. However, Janie is building her a new home, writes Jimmy.

I like the way the community helps Mrs Tolen, writes Destiny. Kathleen agrees and writes that she liked the team-work and kindness.

When asked if there was one thing they would like to change, Cherisse and Destiny wanted something explaining what some of the Romani words used meant, and Jimmy, Kathleen and Ina were sad that Mrs Tolen broke her hip. However, Tommy came up with a brand-new alternative ending to The Can Caravan. Mrs Tolen broke her hip, then she got better and fell in love with Janie’s grandpa, wrote Tommy!

All in all, it was a big thumbs up for The Can Caravan from our young reviewers at Cray’s Hill Primary School.

The Can Caravan can be purchased direct from the Child’s Play website at: www.childs-play.com

By Mike Doherty

(Photograph by Mike Doherty, page spread images courtesy of Child's Play)