Tadpole Summer - Catherine Bruton

 

Summer is on the way and Frog (whose real name is Frances) is looking forward to spending it with her younger brother, Tad, collecting tadpoles and watching them grow into frogs as they have done for the past few years; however, Frog quickly discovers that things are going to be very different this year.  She has always known that Tad is unwell but when he becomes sick and is taken to hospital, it becomes apparent that things are far more serious than she thought.  Feeling helpless and unwilling to sleep in the bedroom they share whilst he's away, Frog decides to camp in the garden until Tad returns.  But once he's home, things aren't what she expected and she may need to accept that she can't fix everything.

Catherine always writes poignant books (No Ballet Shoes In Syria; Following Frankenstein; Bird Boy) and a quick read of the blurb for Tadpole Summer told me that this was going to be an emotional read and I was right (I really like the warning at the bottom of the back cover), but even thought I knew what would be coming at the end, nothing prepared me for how I felt for Frog and her family.

Frog  is looking forward to the summer with her brother.  Although she's always known that he is sick, it's not something she has really thought about until now.  Emotions and thoughts swirl around inside her but she feels she has to be strong for everyone else.  I loved that we heard all of the thoughts she had, including the difficult negative ones.  Being the sibling of someone with a chronic or terminal illness (SMA-PME in this case) is difficult and Catherine shines a light on this well; from drifting through lessons to trying to find ways to make things better, readers will begin to understand some of what many children actually go through. I'm so pleased that Frog had her Grandad whose calm and reassuring manner felt like a hug.  With her parents concentrating their efforts on Tad, she feels left out and lonely so her grandad's presence is an important one for her.  

Tadpole Summer is a poignant book full of love, the joy of nature and the power of family.  It will absolutely stay with you long after you have finished reading it and I can highly recommend having tissues handy (I cried several times whilst reading it).