Those of us who fondly remember John and Mary, Dick and Jane – not forgetting dear old Spot – should take note of a new book written for six-year-olds by Mary Kate Jordan.
The story deals with a little boy called Daniel. Daniel is very fond of his Uncle Tim. In fact, he remembers his uncle as “more fun than any other grown up I knew.”
Daniel and Uncle Tim used to play checkers and take long walks in the woods. However, Daniel noticed that Uncle Tim was always tired and seemed to spend most of his time in bed.
Eventually, Daniel’s mother had to explain that Uncle Tim was dying of a disease called AIDS.
The story which goes on to deal with Daniel’s reaction to and acceptance of Uncle Tim’s death, is seen as an example of new realism in children’s literature.
