“Tootie Rainbow” by FeedARead author J C Milne, is a collection of short stories drawn from real life written for young children who are experiencing illness and bereavement in their family. The stories are written from the point of view of a little girl over the three years of her life between five and eight years old. "The book has been read and approved by a retired Health Visitor, who considers that it is entirely suitable for young children."
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Extract
“But it’s my turn!” she wailed, “You said!”
Now, once Tootie had started saying this she couldn’t stop. The more she said it, the more she went on saying it. It got louder and louder, and turned into a real scream monster.
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“Stop screaming!” said Grandma, quite sternly, but of course the scream monster couldn’t stop screaming. The scream monster flung itself about and wept great tears as well.
Tootie didn’t know how to stop it.
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It was one of those monsters that only stopped when it got what it wanted IMMEDIATELY, not when Jolie had finished what she was doing. Fortunately the monster did let Tootie run round the sofa and hide behind the dolls’ house. Grandma tried to come round and make them a bit more space, but Tootie and the scream monster shouted together,
“No! I don’t want more space!”
Finally the scream monster got fed up sitting by the dolls’ house and went away. Tootie crept on to Grandma’s knee, at the end of a big sob.
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Author’s note
“Tootie Rainbow” follows the story of a five-year-old whose mother is ill with cancer, and has to spend much of the next two years away from home in hospital. Tootie, her brother and her sisters, have to go to Grandma’s while their Dad goes away with Mum. The stories show what life is like for Tootie when her Mummy is ill and at last can no longer be with her any more. My hope was that these would not be sad stories, except where they had to be, and that they would help another young child going through this experience. I hope children will enjoy the little sketches to accompany the stories
"The book has been read and approved by a retired Health Visitor, who considers that it is entirely suitable for young children. She has placed some of the books in a Maggie’s Centre and will continue to make the book available in this way. It will also be offered to the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Care Centre, who looked after Tootie’s mummy for two years. Additionally, copies have been sent to the United States of America, to a hospice manager there. The books are offered free to cancer centres; any profit from individual sales will go to cancer care.
J C Milne