SuitabookOn My Papa’s Shoulders
Niki Daly
- Reading
- Read it slowly through the repeated journeys, pausing to compare each companion’s route and manner. Let your child revisit the illustrations and talk afterwards about family farewells and shared routines.
- Themes
- Everyday family care: The boy walks to school with Mama, Gogo, Tata and Papa; each adult accompanies him differently, through kisses, advice, play, rest or physical closeness. Care is presented warmly through ordinary practical choices and affectionate contact rather than through a single grand event.
- School and working life: The child travels to school while Papa continues to a building-site job; the final page connects the child’s classroom activity with Papa’s work. School and work are shown as parallel activities joined by affection and a shared idea of constructing something.
- Routes, pace and accessibility: Mama walks past fast traffic; Gogo takes a quieter route; Tata enjoys puddles but needs to rest before completing the journey. Different physical capacities and preferences are accommodated as part of family life, without making one way of walking the standard.
- Worth knowing
- The busy town, fast traffic and Tata’s need to rest are present but treated within a loving, playful routine. The story also includes school separation when Papa leaves for work.