#BOOKREVIEW

CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW AS A WRITER AND A READER

Title: The Suitcase
Author and Illustrator: Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Target Audience: Ages 4–6

The Suitcase is a heart-warming story of love and empathy written by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros. At a time when nations keep fighting with each other and people die because of political games and power struggles, this book teaches the expression of affection towards strangers. While reading The Suitcase, the continuous thought running through my mind was: Do adults need such books more than children?

On the other hand, it also teaches children to be cautious before putting full trust in others. In the story, a stranger arrives with a suitcase. There, he meets a fox, a bird, and a rabbit. The stranger said that his case contained a teacup, a table, a chair, and a house with a kitchen. He informed them that the house was on a hillside surrounded by trees. The stranger then decided to rest due to his long journey, while the three animals chose to investigate the case as they didn’t trust the stranger. This moment reflects the book’s subtle message: it’s okay to be cautious of strangers, and sometimes it is necessary to find the truth before trusting them. The three animals decided to check if the stranger was telling the truth, which was possible only by opening the case. Although it shows an invasion of privacy, it teaches another important lesson to children. It tells them to settle their curiosities and make decisions based on proof. 

On opening the case, they found a broken cup and an old photograph of a house. In some ways, the stranger was telling the truth.

The story ends with a moving gesture of kindness—when the stranger wakes up, the animals have built him a home with all he had lost. It’s a moment that reminds us how rare and powerful genuine empathy can be.

How often do we fail to show such kindness, not just to strangers, but even to our neighbours?

The book reflects the depth of creativity possessed by Chris, an award-winning writer and illustrator, and a father. He discovered his passion for storytelling while reading books for his children. In an interview, he said, “When my children were young, I discovered I really loved a lot of the picture books I read to them and realised it was the perfect medium for combining stories, illustration and composition of image and text.  I kind of studied them as I read them and tried to learn what worked and what didn’t. I made my first book for my children and it turned out looking ok, so I decided to get serious about it.”

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