Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Iris and Walter: The School Play
Illustrator: Christine Davenier
Fiction Series
For ages 5 to 7
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2015 ISBN: 978-0544456020
Iris and Walter are very excited because they both have parts in a school play. The play is about insects, and Iris is going to play the part of a cricket. Her best friend Walter is going to be a dragonfly. Iris is so excited that she manages to learn her lines in record time and she is able to help Walter learn his.
Then there is a rehearsal and Walter is asked to speak his lines first. Poor Walter freezes up and is only able to say his three sentences when Iris whispers them to him. Walter worries that he will have stage fright during the performance, but Iris assures him that she will be there to help him remember what to say.
Alas for Walter, for on the day of the show, Iris is very sick and she has to stay home. Iris is so disappointed but there is nothing to be done except to stay in bed and get better. Now Walter is going to have to cope with his stage fright on his own.
In this charming Iris and Walter tale, children will see how wonderfully the two children in the story complement and help one another. Any child who has suffered from stage fright will have no difficulty identifying with Walter. If only we all had an Iris in our lives to help us when we run into difficulty.
