We Can Just Play at Yours

Malik is not hiding anything shameful. He just never says the true one.

You have never been to Malik's house. He has been to yours — he has been to nearly everyone's. When someone says "come to mine," he says yes. When someone says "can I come to yours," he says: we can just play at yours. The flat is small. He shares with his brother. There is not always enough for one more. That is the bit he never says.

This is book 6 of six. All six are set in the same classroom, 3A, with the same six children. In every other book Malik is just someone in the background. In this one, you see the world from the inside.

What is in the book

• 14 illustrated spreads, written for children aged 6 and up
• Short lines and simple words for children starting to read alone
• A page of Malik's own advice: don't ask why I never invite you, just keep inviting me · don't talk about what things cost when I am standing there · if I do invite you, say nothing about my house
• A page for the grown-up, with three questions to talk about afterwards

How it works

The situation is never labelled in the story. The child simply tells you how the world feels. Growing up with less than the families around you — and the quiet costs of managing it — is explained on the last page, for the adult reading along.

Instant download. EPUB for e-readers and tablets, PDF for everything else. Both files included.