The Gotcha Smile

by Rita Phillips Mitchell, Alex Ayliffe (Illustrations)

It's Clarine's first day at her new school and she hopes to make lots of friends. But somehow things just don't go right, until Grandpa lets her into a special secret ...This vibrant multicultural book, with its heartwarming story about starting school and making friends, is perfect for sharing with young children.

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 1998

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clarine is desperate to make friends at her new school yet each day something goes wrong and she becomes more and more anxious about attending. Each day one of the adults in her life suggest a new approach: taking food to share, taking a ball to share and finally, smiling at others. It is the sense of perseverance and determination that I liked about this little story. It’s easy to give up when you’re challenged but each adult in Clarine’s life offer her alternative approaches to making friends until she finds the one that works for her. A nice book for KS1 and EYFS children who are new and, equally, to those in the classroom who would benefit from understanding and empathising with those in that predicament.

[Merri Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely message throughout this book about acceptance. Would definitely read this to my class if I were to work in reception! I think the children would really enjoy it and be able to empathise with Clarine.

[Donna Mcaleese]

Clarine starts a new school but finds it difficult to make friends. She seeks the advice of her mam, her dad and finally her granddad. After failed attempts at bribery and toys, her granddads advice works a treat. He suggests that she tries her “Gotcha Smile”. This is hugely successful and brings Clarine many friends including the one girl she disagreed with on her first day. A beautifully written, brightly illustrated book which places an emphasis on body language and kind gesture, something we all understand. Particularly useful for a reception class in September as part of PSHE: It’s a good way to start talking about the importance of smiling and to talk through some of those issues over friendship and how to be a good friend.