Message from Bron - homesick boy needs books!

[motherinferior]

I've heard from the very lovely Bron (a regular poster till very recently when she moved to Germany and is currently without broadband). She says hello, but also would like some help with her four year old ds1.

She says:
He's waking distraught in the night, having night mares and he's not eating well - can't tell if it's hunger strike of the cloying heat but he even made himself sick at the table last night cos the chicken nuggetty things arent like "in Wales". I desperately need (no not a crate of uk chick nugs) a book about homesickness with a happy ending (not a "went home after all" ending!) that a 4 yr old boy would enjoy.

Anyone got any suggestions? I really feel for the poor little lad - we moved abroad for a couple of years when I was a little older than he is now, and I found it VERY difficult.

aww poor thing xxxxxx i am sure someone will know of some books

I really sympathise but can't think of a book about homesickness off the top of my head. Hope someone else can, send Bron our salutations and say how sorry we are he is not finding life easy.

Motherinferior - please pass on my love and best wishes to Bron: I've been thinking about her loads. How is SHE getting on/settling in?

I really feel for Bron's ds, and am so sad that he is very homesick.

I did have some books about moving house/missing friends, etc. for when we moved house 2 years ago, but I'm pretty certain I've got rid of them all now. If I find any, I will get back to you.

How about this one

or this

I looked on Amazon for children's books about homesickness and came up with a few here .Most don't have a synopsis, but The Sea Pony looks as if it might be suitable- it doesn't say what sort of ending it has, though.

I loved Miss Happiness and Miss Flower, but not sure if it would appeal to a boy.

HTH

I can't find any books, and can't recall any of the titles unfortunately.

The only thing which occurs to me as possibly being of some help/comfort is Jill Tomlinson's: The Owl who was afraid of the dark

It's a gorgeous story about overcoming fears and hesitations of new and different things. And is well suited for reading aloud to a 4 yr-old.

Mif, could you not make your own book up. Find out some of the local stuff from Bron and then write it about her ds so he can relate to it. I made one up for my ds when dd was due. He loved the fact that his name was in a book and it was a story all about him. His very own special book!!!!

Oh, thank you everyone. I'll collate this lot and send it over.

Roisin, I think she's doing fine apart from the fact that German's one of the languages that she DOESN'T speak!

Roisin, you've just brought all my memories back from school. THe Oel Who Was Afriad Of The Dark was the very 1st book that we did at school when I was 7. I've still got the book now I loved it that much!!!!! I suppose I should dig it out and read it to ds.

Check out Amazon.de to order English books with only local delivery rates generally. They carry a book called Elmo Gets Homesick which, if your son likes Sesame Street, might do it, but I don't know what is the ending. You might try it, though, as it's only a few euros, and can look for other similar books.