Matou passes a mosque on her way home from school and can’t resist trying on some of the shoes she finds outside. Curious about the shoes’ wearers, she begins to imagine the lives they might lead. One day, when her mum has to work late, she feels frustrated and let down. Can stepping into her mum’s shoes help Matou build a bridge of understanding between them? A delightful story about empathy in which a little girl takes the expression “to step into someone’s shoes” literally.
Inclusive Books for Children Top Pick
Original Greek edition nominated for the 2020 State Children's Book Awards and the Reader's Literary Awards 2020, and named an IBBY Honour Book 2022.
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Alkisti is an award-winning author from Greece. Having studied Philosophy and Gallery Studies, she now works as a Museum Education Officer designing and performing educational programmes for pupils aged 4-12 years old.
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Fotini graduated from the Athens School of Fine Arts and the Luca school of Arts in Brussels. She uses a mixture of traditional and digital techniques enriched with collage elements. She lives in Athens.
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Konstantine is a Greek author and translator. He has worked as a tutor in Philosophy, an academic researcher, a radio news announcer, and a freelance contributor to mainstream press media and literary magazines.
“Reading allows us to walk a little in another’s shoes. This lovely book cleverly turns that idea into a richly thought-provoking story.”
- EmpathyLab
“As Matou travels through Parisian suburbs on her way home from school, she stops at the local mosque to try on other peoples’ shoes, and get a glimpse into their lives. Exciting multi-media illustrations expertly bring to life the important message about having, and consciously developing, empathy for others.”
- Inclusive Books for Children’s Top Pick
"A sweet tale grounded in teaching compassion and seeing the world from other perspectives."
- Kirkus Reviews
“Alkisti Halikia has come up with a clever and memorable storyline for encouraging children to be empathetic towards others and learn the meaning of the phrase ‘put yourself in my shoes’. It is a story to capture the imagination of many children and act as a useful teaching tool for learning to think about situations from other people’s point of view and not just our own.”
- Spy Readers
“Readers’ eyes will be opened through this engrossing and revealing story, and it’s a positive as well as a rewarding read. Fotini Tikkou blends the occasional photograph into her illustrations which are as pleasing and illuminating as the text.”
- Andrea Reece, LoveReading4Kids
“This is a story about how we can develop empathy for others by stepping out of our own world for a while and imagining the kind of life others lead - with their often different views and priorities. Skilfully translated from the original Greek by Konstantine Matsoukas, the story is beautifully illustrated by Fotini Tikkou who is a ceramic artist as well as a children’s book illustrator.”
- The Letterpress Project
“Vasco’s words and Palomino’s dazzling illustrations, full of movement and color, create a story of blooming. Girls become women; letters become words; a pueblo becomes literate. It’s a powerful read for parents and children whose upbringings are radically different.”
- The New York Times