This is the kind of situation that can happen so easily in a school or nursery situation. Jerome's mum is late to collect him, and while the teacher is perfectly calm about the situation and reassures him that 'Mothers don't forget their children', Jerome isn't at all sure. His imagination runs riot, and he comes up with all sorts of reasons why she might be late, most of them rather unhappy ones. The worst of all is that perhaps she has got tired of him and has gone to pick out another little boy from a shop. Jerome's imaginings are portrayed in soft greys and blues, while the rest of this picture book is full of colour. It is also full of wonderful illustrations of very real people, and, of course, it has a happy ending when mum arrives running. A super book about an all-too-common occurrence and one children worry about.