With the impending American mid-terms looming large on the horizon, it must surly have been serendipity which saw ‘Dear Donald Trump’ pop through my letterbox.

Sam is sick of sharing a bedroom with his brother. He plays on his phone all night, keeping Sam awake and he has had enough!

After seeing Donald Trump on the news talking about building a wall to keep out ‘undesirables,’ Sam decides his brother falls into that category and that a dividing wall across their bedroom may just be the solution. Now all he has to do is convince his family that his plan’s a good one.  Or can his family convince him it’s not?

Told through a series of letters from Sam to Donald Trump (and inspired by Siers watching Trump on the news talking about a wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico), this clever picture book will work in different levels for adults and  children.  It also opened up a conversation about famous walls of the world!

On the face of it, Sam’s letters detail typical family life – arguments with siblings, parents as mediators learning how to get on with one another.  On another level, they highlight the current political situation and that problems can be solved via communication, regardless of the size of the problem. Communication is key!

The humorous illustrations cleverly show Sam and Donald Trump’s lives in parallel as they go about their daily business.  I love how they tell you more of the story alongside the text, and the end illustration gives me hope that perhaps one day Trump will realise it’s ok to change your mind.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of discussions it prompts within the classroom.

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Templar Publishing for sending me this title to review*