What Abigail really did

From Ms Ann Jordan Sir: In defence of Abigail on the Beach, I have shared this book with groups of five seven-year-old children regularly over the past few years.

The book provokes a good deal of discussion on the various social issues involved and the children are well able to rationalise the imagery. Indeed, the children are able to produce their own images, inspired by bullying, frustration and lack of parentalattention, which are often much more dramatic than those of Felix Pirani.

The conclusion usually reached by the children is that much as we may think dreadful things, we don't actually do them; and in this case, Abigail is simply imagining what she would like to happen.

Yours faithfully, ANN JORDAN Nottingham 1 February