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mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
This was a gem of a book recommended to me by a good friend. Published in Norway, 1966 and translated by Eileen Amos, this first book in the series follows a young girl, Aurora, and her family as they move to a block of flats during the winter time. Aurora is nervous about living on the tenth floor of this alien building and she quickly notices how odd everyone seems to find her family. Her father is the primary carer, studying for a doctorate at home whilst her mother was off earning money by being a lawyer.
What with Aurora's hesitancy to make friends, helping to look after her baby brother, Socrates, and with all these new people probing her as to her family's odd setup, Hello Aurora could be seen as several decades ahead of its time: what a pity then that it's out of print!
The book is separated into ten chapters each of which, written in third person narrative, follow Aurora as she explores the area and helps her father with the day-to-day chores. I loved the fact that her father and mother both taught her tolerance and to not judge others too quickly and to consider, respectfully, the 'whys' behind everyone's actions. When father is at odds at the supermarket and in the laundrette, it is an elderly lady and a young boy who teach him and I thought this was well-considered too.
Aurora herself is independent, sensitive, reflective and thoughtful - I adored her. If you can get hold of a copy then do read it, it's a sweet little early chapter book.
What with Aurora's hesitancy to make friends, helping to look after her baby brother, Socrates, and with all these new people probing her as to her family's odd setup, Hello Aurora could be seen as several decades ahead of its time: what a pity then that it's out of print!
The book is separated into ten chapters each of which, written in third person narrative, follow Aurora as she explores the area and helps her father with the day-to-day chores. I loved the fact that her father and mother both taught her tolerance and to not judge others too quickly and to consider, respectfully, the 'whys' behind everyone's actions. When father is at odds at the supermarket and in the laundrette, it is an elderly lady and a young boy who teach him and I thought this was well-considered too.
Aurora herself is independent, sensitive, reflective and thoughtful - I adored her. If you can get hold of a copy then do read it, it's a sweet little early chapter book.
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