The boy on the bench - Corrinne Averiss

The playground is packed with children playing, but Tom is sitting on a bench with his dad.
He's just not sure he's brave enough to join in

Tom can't see a space for himself anywhere in the playground. Not on the slide, or on the roundabout or on the swings
But when a little girl loses her teddy, will Tom have the courage to help?

Gabriel Alborozo's warm, friendly illustrations perfectly bring to life this gentle, empathetic story about overcoming fears and being yourself.

Corrinne Averiss has spent much of her life working in children's TV as a producer and director at companies including Ragdoll, CITV and CBeebies. She has written several books for children and her picture book, A Dot in the Snow, has been nominated for the 2018 Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Manchester with her husband and a charming cat, Alba.

Gabriel Alborozo is a cartoonist and illustrator based in East Sussex. He began work as a cartoonist at just 15 years old and his work has appeared in numerous magazines and papers including Private Eye, Punch and The Spectator. He has written and illustrated several children's picture books including The Colour Thief (Bloomsbury) and Thank Goodness for Bob (Egmont).