Anna's Special Present

A special book this, covering the experiences of Anna as she is pitchforked into coping alone when an emergency strikes the family and her mother has to rush her younger sister to hospital with appendicitis. The cultural differences, such as Japanese writing in the illustrations, origami or more seriously the way Anna's mother left her alone in a flat with only a next-door neighbour across the corridor listening out for her, were accepted with interest but didn't in any way detract from the urgency with which the children were willing me to read on.