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The Thing by Simon Puttock and Daniel Egneus (view source)
Revision as of 11:03, 28 August 2020
, 11:03, 28 August 2020no edit summary
|isbn= 978-1405283717
|website= http://www.simonputtock.com/
|aznuk=1405283718
|aznus=1405283718
This, I think, is a rather special picture book. Charmingly understated and gentle it still has the power to make you think. The response to the arrival of ''the Thing'' has comparisons in our society. The four strangers who initially find it are kind and thoughtful and yet others are suspicious and even aggressive in their response. The commercialisation of the event with funfairs, crowds, cameras and media coverage has obvious parallels too. We are never told what ''the Thing'' is and the open-ended nature of the story adds to its appeal. The wonderful pastel illustrations by Daniel Egnéus work beautifully with the text and the whole book has a timeless quality.
This is a delightful book to share with very young children as its kind, thoughtful and gentle story is quite comforting. However , it would work well across quite a wide age group as its themes would prompt discussions on a variety of subjects. This would be a valuable addition to the school library or classroom. Personally I like the quietness of both the book and ''the thing''. In a world where noise and self-promotion has have gradually become more common the impact of the silent ''Thing'' and the thoughtful quietness of the strangers who become friends is rather lovely.Over the last few days , I have found myself returning to this book for another look and each time I like it a little more. Definitely a book to savour rather than rush through.
Thank you to the publishers for providing this copy for review.
Another lovely picture book about making friends is [[Just Right for Two by Tracey Corderoy and Rosalind Beardshaw]] If you are looking for a story about not always judging by appearances I would suggest [[Mr Big by Ed Vere]]. You might also enjoy [[Fluffywuffy by Simon Puttock and Matt Robertson]].
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