Felix and his Fantastic Friends

Felix and his Fantastic Friends by Ellie Cole and Caroline Keys (Scholastic Australia) HB RRP $19.99 ISBN: 9781761644177

Reviewed by Kellie Nissen

Everyone has a different way of playing and that’s okay. But Felix is curious so embarks upon ‘Mission Friendship’ to investigate the different ways his school friends play, particularly when they are on their own.

Throughout the course of the day, Felix discovers that some of his friends love to be active, some have secret worlds and some prefer to sit and read. They are all different but all have one thing in common – they are willing to invite others into their play-world.

Author of Felix and his Fantastic Friends, Ellie Cole, is a retired Paralympian who has competed in swimming and wheelchair basketball. Her goal when writing this uplifting story was to raise awareness of difference and celebrate it by focusing on what children ‘can’ do, rather than the limitations they have.

While we may look at the range of abilities in Felix’s playground – from physical to neurological – and think it unrealistic, it is, in fact, the reality in many of our schools.

By focusing on a child’s natural curiosity and the positives they can find in others, Ellie Cole is making ‘difference’ the norm rather than the exception. A world with children who, like Felix, are curious but also respectful and inclusive, surely has to be a better world.

Caroline Keys illustrations are bright, yet whimsical, and capture the essence of each of the children Felix befriends. Combined with the text, the illustrations help make the book a joy to read – and read again.

Ideal for sharing with young children of preschool and early primary age, it’s quite refreshing to see that the publisher has identified a much broader target audience range of 3 to 10 years of age. In doing so, the importance of inclusive education and practices in the middle to upper years of primary school has been acknowledged.

This is a lovely book that should be shared between parent and child, and used in schools in tandem with other inclusive stories showing multiple perspectives.