The Story of Philip

Cara Peterman was a librarian from Peterborough, Ontario.

Love is the predominant message in this touching book, which attempts to give the reader some insight into the mind of a little boy named Philip who has a serious learning disability. Without using any labels, the author seems to be describing a child who is developmentally handicapped. She tells how life passes Philip by, as friends and family grow up around him and move on to other games and interests which he can’t comprehend or share. Philip is the third child in a family of four. His loneliness and isolation are balanced with the joy of his small achievements even after a younger sibling leaves him behind. In particular, Philip thrives on love and is gentle and sweet with all of nature’s creatures.

The intended audience of this book would seem to be young children aged four to seven, especially those who might have a child like Philip in their own family or neighbourhood. The text is brief and straightforward, and at times rather repetitious. I find the pastel watercoloured illustrations uninteresting. The figures are often oddly proportioned and lacking in vitality. Young children will be disappointed with the book’s layout, which has every second set of facing pages consisting of text only, while other page sets have illustrations on both sides.

Because of its attempt to put the reader in touch with Philip’s feelings and its straightforward narrative, this book has a specific though limited usefulness. The author, who teaches and writes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, has a handicapped son of her own so that her plea for love and understanding of these children is both heartfelt and genuine. I wish I felt more comfortable with this book’s ability to achieve this objective.