Stockingopolis

In Stockingopolis, it’s not only the sheep who are grey, but the sea that surrounds it, and the factory that makes the town’s famous stockings. As for the stockings, well, yes, they are grey too. Everyone seems quite happy with this, except for youngsters Ben and Lucy. They like colour – in fact they even like the rainy days because there’s always the chance of a rainbow. Together they decide to make some colourful changes, applying their paints to the sheep in the fields. The arrival of the rain and the town’s other children ensures that soon, colour is everywhere. How will the world react to Stockingopolis’ new brightly coloured stockings? Tatyana Feeney’s loose scribbly, child-like style is perfect for a story that is delightfully silly but also a celebration of colour, painting, creativity and children’s agency for change. Young readers will be inspired to pick up paints, knitting needles, or both, while a note at the end tells us that Stockingopolis is based on a real place, Balbriggan, which supplied stockings to people around the world in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Queen Victoria was a fan. A book to brighten up the greyest day.