‘Life Without Nico’ is a sweet story about how a little girl copes when her best friend moves away for a while. It’s an unusual situation, but still extremely tough on young children, even if it’s not permanent. Their entire world changes, and the gorgeous illustrations do an excellent job of portraying Maia’s emotions and thoughts.
After Nico leaves, there is understandably a huge void in Maia’s life, and although she struggles with it initially, she soon finds ways to fill it. The void still exists, but becomes increasingly less obvious, and when Nico is due to return, Maia worries that her life has become too full for Nico to reclaim his spot in it. I loved how the two best friends pick up where they left off, and Maia notes that “there are some things time cannot change”. Such a beautifully reassuring message for those dealing with change!
Life Without Nico
In ‘The Good-Pie Party’, three best friends grapple with the news that one of them is moving away. Posy’s reluctance to pack for the big move is a very normal reaction, and I think many children in similar situations will be able to relate to it.
The girls in this story are older, and I like how they were able to come up with the idea to have a “good-pie party” to help Posy bid farewell to the neighbourhood. I felt that it helped to turn a sad situation into a slightly more positive and fun one, and it definitely helped the girls to feel better about Posy’s departure.
The conclusion of the story was especially sweet, as the girls noted that the moon looked like a pie as well, and it was a “pie” that they would all be able to share, no matter how far apart they are. It reinforced the idea that they would still be good friends, despite not being able to be physically together.
The Good-Pie Party
These are the last two books that I’ve read with the kids about our impending move, and I’ll be reading Augustine a lot more often with them nearer to our departure, since we have our own copy of it.
The twins probably don’t really know what’s going on, but N is very aware, and we have been talking about his feelings about the move. I’ve also spoken to his school counsellor, and he will be talking to N and his other classmates who are also leaving at the end of this semester. I guess this is pretty common in international schools, and I’m glad that the children will be able to get some form of support in school as well. Wish us luck!
Buy the Books Life Without Nico on Book Depository The Good-Pie Party on Amazon
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