Thanks to Tories, not all kids have kitchens

‘It is naive to claim that “every child has a kitchen, so it is an inclusive story”,’ writes Cathy Wood, of the book Kitchen Disco. Photograph: PR

So, Kitchen Disco, the children’s book by David Cameron’s former speechwriter Clare Foges, with Al Murphy, was written “in a day during a holiday in Gambia after ‘a lovely daydream about fruit jumping out of the bowl and dancing in a nightclub’” (The week in books, Review, 19 November). While I am glad that this engaging book has been given to thousands of reception-age children by BookTrust for their enjoyment, it is naive to claim that “every child has a kitchen, so it is an inclusive story”. The austerity agenda of Foges’ former employer continues to create poverty and homelessness on a scale meaning that thousands of children living in hostels and bed and breakfast accommodation do not have their own kitchens, or fruit, or holidays. That is a story worth telling.
Cathy Wood
Chiselborough, Somerset

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