It was a book on display in the little [primary school] library, an ageing hardback picture book called Dad's in Prison. At first I'm afraid my rather sheltered upbringing left me shocked and then somehow amused at such a thing. I'm ashamed to say I even let out a little snort of something like derision.

And I've not stopped thinking about that book. The idea of being the dad in prison. The idea of being the kid in school with the dad in prison. The idea of being the kid with the dad in prison and everyone in the school knowing it. I tracked down one of the writers, Sandra Cain, who got it published nearly a quarter of a century ago off the back of work she was doing with a prison charity. She has moved on now but tells me that although there were those who mocked the book, she remains proud of it. She may have started something. If you search that title there are plenty of similar books available now, which is good but sad all at the same time.