SuitabookThe Last Castaways
Harry Horse
- Reading
- Read a few letters or log entries at a time, noticing the annotations and illustrations. Before continuing after a mishap, invite the child to predict what the explorers might do next.
- Themes
- Adventure and misfortune: Grandfather and Roo search for King Cod aboard the Unsinkable, which does not remain safely afloat and leaves them in a predicament. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Age, retirement and renewed activity: Grandfather has been pushed into retirement by old age but soon becomes involved in an expedition with Roo. The premise places later-life change at the centre, yet it does not show whether retirement is questioned, valued, or simply part of the comic setup.
- Grandfather and Roo: Grandfather travels with Roo, whose finicky ways seem to change with the wind, while the pair face the expedition together. Their partnership is framed affectionately, with the duo described as endearing and central to the book’s humour.
- Worth knowing
- The voyage includes bad luck, a vessel that fails to live up to its name and a predicament implied by the title. If peril feels vivid, pause to check how the child is finding it.