"I'm going to be the angel Gave-you!"
"She said Mae could be a cow or a sheep if she liked, but Mae certainly didn't want to be either of those. She stuck out her bottom lip and made a very cross face.
'What about being an angel?' asked Mrs Foster.
Mae didn't want to be an angel either.
'You could be the angel Gabriel,' Mrs Foster told her. 'That's a very special angel, a very important part."
At home the family are expecting a new baby. On the day of the Nativity play Mum and Dad head off to the hospital. That night while Mae is up on the stage her dad arrives. Mae is so excited she waves to her dad and falls off her chair. She bravely climbs back on and continues to sing with the other angels.
This is a sweet story which gently portrays the experiences of one young child at Christmas. It also gives the reader a small view of everyday life in her family. One tiny detail I really appreciate in the book is seeing little Mae wearing glasses.
Angel Mae was first published in 1989. The cover above is from the 2016 edition which is still available. Angel Mae is one story of four about the kids who live on Trotter Street. The four stories, originally published individually, are: Angel Mae; The Big Concrete Lorry; The Snow Lady; and Wheels. In 2020 a new compilation edition will be published:
Shirley Hughes: "she has continued to delight and innovate right up to the present day, with wordless picture books and strip cartoons among others, but always with her characteristic attention to detail and effortless evocation of the everyday life and concerns of small children." from: Make a friend for life in Alfie
I would pair Angel Mae with Shine by Karen and Jonathan Langley; A Christmas Star called Hazel; Wombat Divine and An Angel just like me by Mary Hoffman.
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