The Girl Who Couldn't Smile
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4.8 • 24 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
When Shane Dunphy starts work at Little Scamps crèche, he has no idea what he has let himself in for. He had not worked in an early years setting for many years and on arriving for his first day he found that two members of staff, Susan and Tush, are at the end of their tether and on the verge of resigning. The children themselves are completely out of control. At the centre of this chaos Shane finds Tammy, a pretty, doll-like five-year-old who is a mystery to everyone: she does not talk, or even smile, yet shows signs of remarkable intelligence.
Through the course of the year, Shane attempts to bring order to this motley group and we learn the stories of some of the other children in the crèche: Milandra, an angry, violent four year old, the daughter of a Nigerian father and Irish mother; Rufus, a gypsy child who is direly neglected; Julie, a tiny, painfully shy little girl with Down's Syndrome. How is Shane ever to find a way to communicate with and ultimately befriend such diverse and challenging personalities? Then one afternoon, Gus, the class tear away, receives the gift of a blue crayon - a crayon he claims is magic. And Shane begins to wonder if this magic could be the answer to all his problems ...
Shane Dunphy's moving portrait of a year at Little Scamps is a testament to the redemptive power of love and nurturing, of finding oneself through the care of others, as well as finding the secret of a girl who couldn't smile.
Customer Reviews
The Girl who could not smile.
I have read this book 3 times ,as the way he writes is addictive and the subjects regarding child psychology are essential for Parents to try to gain some deeper understanding about how to invest in the most important role of being a Parent and raising a child properly.I am impressed by Shane's abilities to cope and accept as many challenging people as he has while enhancing their lives as well as how he cooks and plays music, adds the touch of humour plus irony , skills working with victims of abuse and I have learned a lot from this book and highly recommend this as an essential read for people working with children and Parents everywhere. Patience + kindness + acceptance, towards the most rewarding results as depicted, saving the children and trying to teach their Parents how to become better versions of themselves as much as it's possible to do so. I have read all of his books and have tried to pass some of his knowledge on to others. Fascinating and very well written. Thank you, Shane Dunphy .
The girl who couldn’t smile
Absolutely brilliant!!
Shane Dunphy writes with as much passion as he has for his work. His words took me right there with him, i could so easily picture everything and feel his passion, despair and joy. This was the second of his books I have read, can’t wait to start the next!!
Love this
I have read all of Shane's books and haven't been dissappinted by any of them. I wish he would write more