Changes

Sarah Simpkins gives it a go in ''Sarah's Shadow''. Mean old Yasmin Hughes points and sniggers at Sarah in the school playground one day ''"Sarah's shadow is long and thin, just like her"''. And everybody laughs. It's humiliating and Sarah goes home feeling horrible and unworthy. So, when she sees a falling star out of her bedroom window and her mum tells that she can now make a wish, Sarah wishes for her shadow to go away. And go away it does.

I like the underlying messages in this story. Firstly, bullying is b-a-d. It hurts people. ''Sarah's Shadow'' makes this very clear, as it shows her walking home from school with a tight knot in her stomach and fighting back tears. Secondly, immediate wish fulfilment doesn't always solve your problems like you think it will. Changing yourself isn't the answer to bullying because ''you'' aren't the problem. Parents and children reading this story together will be able to have some very useful, affirmative conversations about self image and that is a very good thing.