A powerful, stirring yet utterly down-to-earth story with an unforgettable message about anger, compassion and forgiveness.

Based on a true story from the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu's childhood, Desmond and the Very Mean Word depicts an incident in a South African town. While proudly riding his new bicycle, young Desmond is rudely insulted by some neighbourhood boys – and at first he responds angrily. But he's troubled to find that retaliation brings him no relief, and he can't stop thinking about the mean things the boys said to him. With the aid of the kindly Father Trevor, Desmond arrives at a better understanding of his feelings and learns that true forgiveness comes from within – and arises when you choose to regard all people with compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry.

A beautiful tale of forgiveness, as well as a lesson about how to handle bullying and feelings of anger, embarrassment and revenge, this is a vibrantly illustrated, deeply warm-hearted story.