He is really disappointed when he finds out that Radu doesn’t speak any English. Now he will never find out about building – or will he?

A story of understanding without words

A new series of books for modern, multi-cultural Ireland for children aged 6-8

'a charming story … the illustrations are bright and colourful'

'well-written, entertaining and enlightening stories for children … distinctively illustrated by artists from the Cartoon Saloon'

'a handsome collection of full-colour picture books'

'particularly attractive … for reading aloud in class'

'highly recommended'

'a timely series that will be invaluable both in the school and home environment … these thought-provoking books will be of immense value to teachers, parents and of course children'

'Editor's Choice'

'attractive and important'

'innovative and exciting'

'appropriate and timely'

'aimed at age six and upwards, this excellent and enjoyable non-preachy series … should be in every school'

'[Bridges] introduce us to some of the newer cultures in our island in warm and sympathetic fashion'

'an excellent and thought-provoking new series of multicultural books from O’Brien'

'captivating as well as educational'

'hopefully they are the first of many in that they ably reflect the ethnic mix that Ireland’s population has now become. Inter-racial and inter-generational, they explore differences in culture and language, and celebrate communication'

'impressively designed, with bright coloured pictures, well-spaced text and a narrative that uses simple language but in its most effective way'

'the message that differing languages need not be a barrier to friendship will not be lost on young readers'

'four beautifully written and very colourfully illustrated books'

'could be used in the area of integration, geography and religious studies'

'the text is carefully graded in terms of language'

'a wonderful, tender and side-splittingly funny story'

Teaching Resources: free to view and download

• Download Teaching Guides: Teaching guide and classroom activities by Peter Heaney