Bethy's Mum is in Prison is the third in the My Parent in Prison Series
of books for children of imprisoned parents. It portrays the challenges
they face and allows them to understand they are not alone. The story
follows Bethy who lives with her Nan and her cat Rudy whilst Mum is in
prison. Nan helps Bethy learn to deal with questions from school friends
about why she doesn't live with her Mum. It is sometimes hard for Bethy,
especially when saying 'Goodbye' to her Mum after visiting her in prison
with her Nan. She helps her friend Abbie whose best friend moved away
and knows her Mum will be proud of her after she is given a Gold Star by
her teacher in assembly.
The series is pitched at younger readers and inspired by real life
stories and events. Some 312,000 children have a parent in prison in the
UK alone (2022) many of whom fall within the target age range (below) of
this book. The figure is one in every 100 across Europe, millions of
children worldwide, giving this vividly illustrated and attractively
written work considerable potential.