The Playdate

4.0

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Author(s)

Uje Brandelius

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Clara Dackenberg

Publisher Name

Lantana Publishing

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

April 08, 2025

ISBN13

978-1836290148

ISBN10 or ASIN

For one little girl, the prospect of a playdate at her friend Henry's house fills her with excitement.

She really likes Henry. He even has a funny dog. And although she and her mother have to take a bus, then the subway, then change to another line, then a bus, and then walk for a while, it's worth it because Henry's house has millions of rooms to hide in and hundreds of toys to play with.

But while the text tells one story, the illustrations slowly reveal another. As the kids tear around the house enjoying each other's company, their moms experience the playdate very differently. Soon we find that the little girl and her friend Henry live lives that are poles apart.

This compelling story encourages readers to question why we live in a society where those who have and those who have not live very different lives.

Editor review

1 review

Interesting exploration of economic disparity

March 09, 2025 (Updated: June 24, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

A little girl is very excited to go visit her friend Henry for a playdate. He has a dog, lots of toys, and a big house to roam around. It takes the girl and her mother some time, and several bus changes, to get to his house, but the two start playing happily right away. Eventually, Henry wants to play a video game, which the girl does not enjoy. She wanders into a room she hasn't visited, and sees a toy robot, which she had seen in the store and fervently desired, in a closet. On the way home at the end of the day, the girl feels bad. She tells her mother that she took the robot home with her. The mother tells her not to worry, but takes the robot and tells the girl she will return it the next week, and that she is not mad at her.

Good Points

This is a picture book where the pictures tell a large part of the story that doesn't make it into the text. While the girl is having fun with her friend, it is clear to the reader that the mother is not similarly hanging out with Henry's mother. She's cleaning the house, clearly employed to do so. The long bus trip, the longing for the robot, and differences in where the children live all point to the economic disparity between the two, and helps explains the mother's reaction.

It's always interesting to see books originally published in other countries, and I loved that this translation of a Swedish title retained the signs and graffiti in Swedish. The message is universal, despite the slight difference in aesthetics, which are reflected in the buildings, furniture in the apartments, and street scapes.

While the message is an interesting one, most young readers will have to be drawn into a conversation about the differences in the children's lives, as well as why the mother wasn't angry about the girl taking the robot. I think most children take something that is not theirs at one point in their lives, but in my generation it was an ordeal that usually involved being marched back to return the item and apologize.

If you are looking for a picture book to start a conversation about social injustion, use this along with Whipple and Wong's Enough Is..., Wang and Chin's Watercress, Williams' A Chair for My Mother, and de la Pena and Robinson's The Last Stop on Market Street.