Toppling - Sally Murphy and Rhian Nest James

Toppling
Sally Murphy (Author)
Rhian Nest James (Illustrator)
Candlewick
ISBN 9780763659219

Having only read one Sally Murphy book before this one, I was not sure what to expect but knew I expected a lot. This book blew away even those high expectations. Two things grabbed my attention, the title and the cover. But the story was so much more than that. A few years ago I did a course in university on grief literature for children. It was a great course with a number of very good books. To be honest this one is better than most from that course. I read it to my son and though he is 4 and a half he did not get it all but he loved the book and the illustrations. This is a book that is now amongst my all-time favorite children's books and I cannot give it a higher recommendation than that.It is a story about friendships, about illness, and about change. It is mainly the story of John and Dominic. They hang out in a group in school and then Dom gets sick. Dom has cancer and they do not know if he will live. John is afraid he will die. Between visits to the hospital, treatments and growing up, this is an amazing story. It was incredibly well written and illustrated. It will touch the hearts of all who read it!

Books by Sally Murphy:
Verse Novels
Pearl Verses the World, illustrated by Heather Potter
Toppling, illustrated by Rhian Nest James

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Picture Books
Snowy's Christmas, illustrated by David Murphy
Pemberthy Bear, illustrated by Jacqui Grantford
The Floatingest Frog, illustrated by Simon Bosch

Meet Mary MacKillop

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Chapter Books
The Big Blowie, illustrated by Craig Longmuir
R is for Rolf, illustrated by Trevor Pye
Bugged, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen
Stuck, illustrated by Stephen Axelsen
Doggy Duo, illustrated by Teresa Culkin-Lawrence

Look Up, illustrated by Aska

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Educational Titles
Two Tricky Tales
Marty's Birthday
Buzzy Fly
Be Careful
Remember Me
Over the Fence
Sonoran Desert Animals
The Extraordinary House
Icecream
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Desert critters
Frogs: Awesome Amphibians
Aussie Authors
Aussie Authors 2
Writing the News
Speak Out
Speak Up
Spellbound
The Book Book
Assembly: Poems to perform

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(Note: I received an electronic galley of this book through NetGalley, courtesy of Candlewick. The book was read on my iPad. As per my general disclaimer, free books have no impact on my review.)