- Picture Books
- Ages 4–8
- Everyday Life
The Bridges
A moving celebration of books, reading and the connections stories can build. Excellent for children who feel lonely, reluctant readers who need a positive book-about-books, and classrooms promoting reading for pleasure.
- Best for4–8
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Inspirational
- Thought provoking
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Mia feels alone, as if she lives on a small island far out at sea. Then she is given a book, the first she has ever been able to call her own. As Mia reads, bridges appear, her island fills with colour and life, and the books she discovers begin to connect her with new worlds, new ideas and other people. The Bridges uses a clear visual metaphor to show how reading can reduce loneliness and build connection. Tom Percival's illustrations move from bleak isolation towards warmth, imagination and community, making the emotional message accessible without becoming didactic. This is a strong pick for libraries, schools and families because it is both a story and an argument for reading itself. It pairs naturally with books about imagination, social connection and children finding a way into the world through stories.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 4–8
- Read aloud · 3–8
- Independent · 5–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Reading for pleasure
- Loneliness
- Books about books
- Library love
- Gentle connection
Avoid if
- Wants action plot
- Wants laugh out loud funny
- Prefers non message books
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Low self esteem
- Struggling with reading
- Making friends
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A warm Tom Percival read-aloud about two lonely children building a connection — a lovely prompt for talk about friendship and reaching out.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the two villages — opposite sides of a wide river, mutual suspicion, a child from each side deciding to build a bridge anyway. The Tom Percival picture book where the metaphor is the whole point and isn't trying to hide.
- Secret world
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The Tom Percival picture book for the current moment — division and mistrust and the small acts that connect people, lands without being political-with-a-capital-P. Percival's illustrations moving from isolation to warmth. Strong for libraries and classrooms.
- Conversation starter
- Bedtime appropriate
- Beautiful illustrations
- Educational for adult too
About the author & illustrator
Tom Percival.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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