I met a friend recently for tea and cake and our conversation made its way round to one of her grandchildren, with us discussing the little girl recently starting at preschool and the importance of this step in helping her develop both social skills and empathy towards others – something I was reminded of when I read this new picture book from Michael Hall. A story that works on several levels, what at first appears to be about a straightforward case of bullying turns out to be so much more as we meet Badger and his friends. Badger is spoiling for a fight when we first encounter him and soon takes his bad mood out on Bear and the others who have the misfortune to get in his way. Collecting those who have been affected together, Bear explains his plan to deal with Badger’s unpleasantness to them, and they soon put it into action. Treating Badger with kindness and respect, Bear and the others soon uncover the reasons behind his behaviour and are able to help him to work through his feelings – something that leads in turn to Badger showing Bear kindness when his friend finds himself in need of it the following day. Even as adults, there are times when we experience negative emotions and as a result lash out at those who are closest to us. Here, we initially jump to the conclusion that Badger is a bully but once we see how much he is hurting, we understand the difficulties that he is experiencing in trying to deal with his feelings and watch as Bear and the others don’t retaliate but go out of their way to be gentle and kind to him. For younger children who may have yet to develop the empathy towards others that we would like them to, this is a great story for prompting discussions on a whole range of topics, making it a wonderful addition to any EYFS or KS1 bookshelf. I wasn’t familiar with Michael Hall’s work before I read this but his beautiful collaged illustrations are lovely to look at and complement the simple text perfectly so I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more reads from him.

Punch! by Michael Hall is a bold, fun picture book with lots of energy. The illustrations really stand out and bring the story to life, making it a great one to read aloud. A lively and engaging read that little ones will love.