#365PictureBooks 70. The Boy and the Toy by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo

Hartnett, S., & Masciullo, L. (2010). The Boy and the Toy. Melbourne, Australia: Puffin Books.

ISBN: 9780143506041
Pages: 32
Age Level: Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

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A young boy's father, having all the best intentions in the world, makes a robotic toy for his son to play with while he is away.  It was the best toy ever and they have so much fun together.  Until that is, the boy wants to read and play with his other toys.  What happens when you combine a robot with feelings of jealousy? 

Hartnett tells a very sophisticated tale weaving together friendship, jealousy and inventiveness in a way 'that explores the meaning of friendship'.  This is a topic that children young and old always have issues with, and it is nice to have a book that is aimed at our more older readers.  

Using the robot as the 'friend that you can never please' and showing the sneaky lengths that some people will go to is a clever idea, however I believe that the message within the book will go over the heads of a lot of children.  While the book will be enjoyed by children, I think it should be read aloud and discussed to get the message across.

Masciullo's illustrations remind me of Shaun Tan's work.  The colours are muted giving the images a 'dark' feeling, and yet they have so much information within them that they are really quite spectacular.  To me they have a 'steampunk' feel to them combining the old with the new - Dad heads off in a sailing ship powered by a hot air balloon, and their house is a mish-mash of old-style furniture and mechanical bits-n-bobs.  The robots progression from friendly toy to jealous playmate has been portrayed really cleverly.  The young boys feelings of joy, surprise ... or should I say shock, and determination are clearly depicted in his facial expressions.

Wow!  I really want to like this book, but I think that the message about friendship in it has been portrayed in such a dark manner it is bordering on creepy.  Definitely a book for older readers.  A good book for sharing and discussing about what exactly friendship is and what makes a good friend.

I got my copy of The Boy and the Toy from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.