Suitabook
The one in the middle
Kirsty Paxton
CC BY 4.0Credits & Licence
Originally published by Book Dash. Writer: Kirsty Paxton. Illustrator: Neeske Alexander. Designer: Melissa Visser. Editor: Diane Awerbuck.
Cover resized and converted to WebP; artwork unchanged. Suitabook’s AI guidance is a separate assessment.
Original Book on Book Dash: The one in the middle (opens in a new tab)- Reading
- Pause at the changing cardboard-box scenes and invite your child to describe what Khanyiswa is imagining; let them decide whether to connect it to their own family.
- Themes
- Being the middle child: Khanyiswa names herself as neither the first nor last born, and says the middle child can be forgotten or left out. Her identity as the middle child is repeated and ultimately described as the best place for her; her feelings of being overlooked are also acknowledged.
- Imagination and making: Khanyiswa turns a cardboard box into a house and slide, and uses play for a shop and a show. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- Khanyiswa says the middle child can be easy to forget and leave out; the story gives this feeling space, then moves towards imaginative play and family closeness.