Put Your Shoes On
An empathetic tale that encourages patience and offers a relatable glimpse into the inner workings of a child’s imagination, perfect for children aged 3-7 and a comforting resource for parents
Age 3+
Picture Storybooks
From the creator of the iconic Penguin comes a truly humorous and empathetic look at everyday family life that also celebrates the importance and the dignity of a child's inner world.
Every morning, all across the globe, children are being asked to put their shoes on. And, every morning, across the globe ... no children are putting shoes on their feet, including Josh. Mummy is desperate for Josh to put his shoes on – they have Aunty Nelly's party to go to! His cousins Tobias and Clementine will be there! (With their best shoes on.) While she asks nicely, cajoles, and eventually shouts (a bit), what she can't see is that Josh is actually VERY BUSY: he is completely lost in his own imaginative landscape inhabited by wild and wonderful creatures, made from real children's drawings by Polly Dunbar's son. In his own head, Josh is indeed putting shoes on ... just not on his own feet. Cleverly fusing together two unique art styles, Polly connects us to the inner life of a child and all the little worries and distractions they wrestle with as soon as they know they have to leave home. In the end, she asks for a little more patience and love ... for both parent and child.
Creators
Polly Dunbar is an award-winning author-illustrator whose books for Walker include Red, Red, Red, A Lion Is a Lion and the bestselling Penguin. She has also illustrated books by novelists David Almond and Michael Morpurgo, poets Michael Rosen and Raymond Antrobus and her mother, picture-book author Joyce Dunbar. Follow her on Instagram: @PollyDunbar
Reviews
Featuring a child’s inner world vividly evoked by Dunbar’s own sons’ drawings, this tender, relatable picture book encourages patience and communication.
The Guardian
Visually gorgeous
The Bookseller
Families with children ages 3-7 and parents who are sometimes impatient will find this perceptive, forgiving tale both a resource and a comfort.
The Wall Street Journal
