SuitabookSon of the Sea
Richard Pickard
- Reading
- Read alongside the child, pausing when Casper learns more about his family or encounters new water-related choices. Afterwards, compare protection with control and ask which secrets helped or harmed trust.
- Themes
- Identity and difference: Casper’s webbed feet and attraction to water are treated by his parents as something to conceal, while he seeks to understand himself. The book presents this favourably.
- Protection, secrecy and trust: Casper’s parents forbid water and restrict ordinary washing and drinking practices because they believe they are protecting him. Protection is shown as motivated by concern but also as misguided when it prevents explanation and leaves Casper frustrated and acting independently.
- Ambition and consequences: Casper wants to become the youngest person to swim the English Channel, despite strong restrictions and adult fears about water. Determination is foregrounded positively, while the story also links actions with consequences and does not present the goal as straightforward.
- Worth knowing
- The central separation from Casper’s parents follows an accident and hospital stay.