Categories: Being Different & Being Yourself, Friendship & Getting Along

Hortense and the Shadow

This book encourages the reader to see strengths within themselves that they may have originally thought were weaknesses. It uses a quirky, abstract message to promote self-respect. It would be a good starting point for a conversation about tolerance and respect for others too.

Author: Natalia O'Hara
Illustrator: Lauren O'Hara
Publisher: Penguin Random House

Hortense hates her shadow with a passion – it follows her, it copies her, it hates her back. But when she needs it, her shadow comes in very useful…

Hortense and the Shadow is a beautifully-presented, thought-provoking book, with a unique story and exquisite illustrations.

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

Sometimes, children can be annoyed by certain features they possess, and a lack of self-worth can follow. Hortense seems to have these feelings too, as she tries to escape her own shadow.

Hope & Inspiration:

When Hortense faces danger and encounters bandits, her shadow comes to the rescue, and morphs itself into various forms to scare the bandits away.
Hortense comes to see that her shadow is a valuable part of herself, and through it, she has the ability to be strong enough to protect herself from peril. She is empowered. Hortense is able to turn her opinion of her shadow around in this book – she goes from hating it, to seeing it as a part of her and begging it to return. There is acceptance.

Review by: Rebecca Seymour