One good turn…
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“In Malta there’s no poverty.” We love to repeat this statement over and over, maybe because it assuages our conscience or maybe because it makes us feel like we’re living in a bed of roses. We replay this statement so much that now we believe it toOne good turn…
“In Malta there’s no poverty.” We love to repeat this statement over and over, maybe because it assuages our conscience or maybe because it makes us feel like we’re living in a bed of roses. We replay this statement so much that now we believe it to be true. So much so, that when activists and NGOs try to raise awareness about poverty in Malta, we push them to the side lest they mar the bright lights of the shining sky scrapers and the glittery shopping malls. Children’s literature can help throw the spotlight on the realities of poverty, without any homilies or lengthy sermons. A magical story can just as easily leave an impact on a child’s imagination and spur the new generation to empathise and be more aware than ours. Clare Azzopardi’s new picture book, Il-Ħanut tal-Ħelu li Mar Dawra, illustrated by Matt Stroud and published by Merlin Publishers, is about a boy called Max. Every Saturday, Max stops by at this old sweet shop. In a country full of modern shops, one as soulless and as similar to the next, this little sweet shop sticks out, because it’s very old fashioned. The wooden shop windows, the old benches and the timeworn cash register gives it a charm like no other. Read more