Paper Me

From Polly Dunbar, author-illustrator of Penguin, comes a visually inventive, deeply empathetic and hopeful book for every child who has struggled with adjusting to life at school.

On school days, Grayson feels like he is “made of paper” – fragile, easily crumpled. So, he draws on his biggest, bravest smile to try and fit in ... until a mean remark makes him fold up small. When he sees his mum after school, he explodes into paper confetti – his emotions bursting out of him and scattering all across the page. Safe at home, Mum helps him to feel better without tape or glue – just love, safety and understanding.

The next day, Grayson returns to school feeling stronger, only to discover that Francesca, the girl who hurt his feelings, is made of paper too. Together, they draw their true feelings – messy, real, honest feelings – and something shifts. Maybe, this day at school, Grayson will be OK.

Drawing from her own family experiences, Polly tackles Grayson’s difficult feelings about school with empathy and humour, reminding readers that we’re all a little “paper” sometimes.