Barnaby Unboxed!

In the newly reopened ‘Perfect Pets’, Barnaby, ‘half mouse and half elephant, with just a dash of flamingo’, thinks he is the most perfect pet of all- and yet, he is the last one of his kind on the shelf. One day, whilst worrying he will never be chosen, a little girl picks him. Taking him home, the two become inseparable until, one Saturday morning, whilst watching television, an advert for the new ‘Rainbow Barnaby’ is shown and the little girl decides she wants one. When her father refuses to buy her the new pet, she seems to lose interest in her Barnaby. Her father now takes him for his walk and one rainy day, Barnaby slips unnoticed off his lead, planning to run away ‘just long enough for people to miss him’; however, when he is chased by a cat, he finds himself lost and alone. Time passes and, although he meets other lost and forgotten pets, he is determined to find his way home to the little girl. Supported by the squirrels in the park who show him their ways, Barnaby begins to forget his old life until he spots a little girl pinning ‘missing’ posters to the trees…

Once again, The Fan Brothers have produced a perfect picture book combining sensitive storytelling, moments of gentle humour and, in this case, a strong message about the responsibility and commitment involved when taking on the care of a pet. The book has so much potential for developing ideas and work in school as well as for being enjoyed at story time!

Children could have great fun inventing their own ‘perfect pets’ which might join Barnaby on the shelves, creating character profiles and developing personalities and names for their creatures. Barnaby is just adorable, with his big eyes, puffy tail and soft as candyfloss fur- and yet, he is full of worries as he compares himself to the other ‘new and exciting’ pets which are on offer. At this point of the story, role play or hot-seating could be used to explore Barnaby’s feelings, but also those of some of the other pets who might have similar concerns, and develop some good advice to offer anyone feeling downhearted or under-valued.

The story is also perfect for considering the long term dedication and commitment needed when adopting a pet. The collection of ‘lost or forgotten’ pets in the rubbish bin is a sad indictment of how fashions and fads can lead to the casual neglect and discarding of creatures in need of love and care.

However, eagle-eyed readers will notice that there are signs that the little girl has not forgotten him. Almost as soon as he was lost, posters can be seen seeking his return, filling the reader with hope that the two will be reunited once more.

As usual with any book from the Fan Brothers, the illustrations are fabulous- full of details to notice and things to wonder about. The spread showing the row of shops where Perfect Pets can be found is almost identical to that in ‘The Barnabus Project’- except that the barber’s shop has now closed down and the Coffee Palace is all boarded up and the last but one picture showing Barnabus and the little girl enjoying their walk in the park also appears in the first book and you can see Barnabus and his fellow escapees watching them as they walk by.

A gorgeous, heart-warming read- not to be missed!

Barnaby Unboxed!

The Fan Brothers

Frances Lincoln ISBN: 978-1836001607

You can read my review of ‘The Barnabus Project’ here, ‘It Fell From the Sky’ here, ‘Lizzy and the Cloud’ here and ‘Ocean Meets Sky’ here.

It Fell from the Sky

It fell from the sky on a Thursday…

When a strange object appears in the garden, it is the subject of great discussion and speculation amongst the creatures that live there. Cunningly, Spider soon takes possession and constructs a ‘Grand Exhibit’ to show off the ‘Wonder from the Sky’. Having created ‘Wonderville’, he starts to make money by charging everyone to see it. As its popularity increases, he raises the entry fees, but eventually, the crowds disappear. Spider assumes everyone has left to spread the word about his amazing attraction, but an Unexpected Disaster occurs and the Wonder is stolen and Spider was all alone. Soon, life returned to normal and Spider has to re-evaluate his choices…

I absolutely adore the Fan Brothers’ work. ‘The Barnabus Project’ is possibly my favourite, closely followed by ‘Ocean Meets Sky’ and this latest gem is every bit as wonderful! I have never known a child (or adult) who has not been utterly mesmerised by their artwork and captivated by their stories.

‘It Fell From the Sky’ is an excellent story for starting conversations about greed and community spirit- and about who ‘works of art’ should belong to! But there is endless joy to be had exploring the pictures, re-telling events from other characters’ viewpoints and creating artwork inspired by the incredible illustrations.

The marble (for that it what readers will recognise the Wonder from the Sky as) is initially the only flash of colour in the monochrome spreads. I love using marbles as inspiration for poetry (see post to come in ‘Reading Resources’) and this would work so well alongside this story as the creatures wonder just what this strange object is that has appeared in their world. Children would enjoy creating miniature worlds or their own miniature museum of wonders like the one Spider creates, shown in glorious colour and harmony as it is shared by all. There are so many ways this wonderful book could be used with a class. And don’t forget to take off the dust jacket and admire the evening scene, studded with fireflies, on the cover of the book itself. From start to finish- this is an absolute joy!

It Fell from the Sky The Fan Brothers

Frances Lincoln ISBN: 978-0711270657