SuitabookZoe in wonderland
Brenda Woods
- Reading
- Read alongside Zoe rather than treating her daydreaming or withdrawal as a problem to solve. Pause after major changes or hurtful interactions, asking what she notices, wants and might need from others.
- Themes
- Self-acceptance and individuality: Zoe feels ordinary and overshadowed, then begins to recognise that she has value and something to offer. The story clearly supports a movement towards valuing oneself beyond comparison with others.
- Imagination and real-world experience: Zoe retreats into imagined versions of herself while becoming increasingly interested in real adventures connected with the nursery and a visitor. The book presents competing or mixed signals about this.
- Friendship, family and belonging: Zoe relies on Q while feeling diminished beside her siblings and misunderstood by some people around her. The story recognises the importance of attentive, kind relationships but also portrays rejection and family hurt as significant pressures.
- Worth knowing
- Some families may want to prepare for references to divorce, cancer, loss of property through fire, friendship separation, rejection and hurtful family behaviour. The emotional impact and ending may be worth checking in together.