Meet Amber Class

Meet Amber Class is, in many ways, less of a story book and more of an instruction manual for how to be a peaceful and successful primary school class. The book features three stories, and all of them deliver crystal clear messages about believing in yourself and treating others kindly.

The book opens with a story called Believe in Yourself, which introduces readers to some of the children in Amber class, and their inspirational teacher, Mrs Adisa. Mrs Adisa is kind and patient with all of her children, as she gently urges them to nurture their self-belief. For some children, this comes naturally: Nzingha confidently takes on the role of cheerleader for her friends and encourages them all to focus on the things they are best at. But some find it harder to see their own strengths, and Kayden finds things particularly tricky and needs the help of – of all things – a large beetle!

The second story, Sort it Out, focuses on the children’s reciprocity and conflict resolution. A game of football sparks a fall out between Kayden and Andrew and Mrs Adisa is eager for the children to solve their problem without her help. It is a playground conflict that all young children will have experienced, and the story includes a step-by-step guide for making things better.

Finally, Feeling Good revisits the theme of self-belief as the children work together to recognise what makes them all individually special, and they consider ambitious life goals for themselves.

The book is a low-interest, high-ability book, in that it will appeal most to younger readers but offers a good reading challenge. Its overtly positive themes may feel saccharine to some readers to begin with, but the vast majority of young children will instantly recognise the classroom being described, and Nzingha, Kayden and the rest will remind them of their own friends. It is unusual for a book of this length to celebrate the magic of a primary school classroom in such an obvious manner, and young readers will love its familiar feel.