You can be far away inside, and far away outside
A picture book for older readers, Over the Rooftops, under the moon, explores the beauty of finding yourself in a world full of people, colour, loneliness and quiet.
This book is difficult for younger children to enjoy with limited words and lack of story but older readers will be drawn to the simple message it sings out. Be yourself.
We often get caught up in being one of the ‘flock’ of people. Carried away by what we are told we should be doing.
It is often only when we meet someone, something different happens or we have time to reflect that we realise the opportunity that life can give us to be different and to find out who we really are.
The protagonist in this story is a bird who at the start lives with his flock until he locks eyes with a human girl and discovers the different things life can bring. He travels with her and then alone again, eventually coming back to the birds he loves – but knowing that he is different and life is there to show our differences.
The illustrations are soft yet rich. There is a lot to be gathered from the detail within each picture and the play on colours – adding more depth to the simple story within.
Over the Rooftops, Under the Moon is a picture book to be shared with older readers, to be explored and to wonder what life is about, how simplicity can bring about deep meaning and how a simple change in life can wake us up.
