#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.

#365PictureBooks 9. Dinosaur Doo by Andrew Weale, illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy

Weale, A., & Dreidemy, J. (2012). Dinosaur Doo. London, UK: Hodder Children's Books.

ISBN: 9781444901634
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Spark is a young cave boy who lives in a lovely green valley with his friends.  Oh, and don't forget the dinosaurs who live there too.  There is just one tiny little problem though. 

'What do the dinosaurs ALL love to do?

Stinky great heap loads of dinosaur POO!'

Luckily Spark loves to invent things and he comes up with a cunning plan to make the poo disappear.  Spark is a born leader and he soon has his friends running around making his contraption.  But will it solve their problems?

Told in an easy to follow rhyme, Weale takes children on a hilarious poo-filled adventure through prehistoric time and the inventiveness that all children have (no matter the time period they come from).

Dreidemy's bright illustrations add beautifully to the story.  The looks on the dinosaurs faces as they proceed to poo are just awesome.  It's as if they take immense delight in 'doing their business'!  Of course the Brachiosaurus is too tall to fit on a normal page, so you have to turn the book sideways to see it 'rain' down on the kids.  And the looks of horror and disgust on the kids faces is classic! 

I love everything about the illustrations, from the abnormally coloured trees (bright pink and turquoise), to the looks on the characters faces.  There is the cute front and end papers with scribbled images of the dinosaurs and the pronunciation of their names, and a fabulous 'name-plate' page with a dino on a toilet reading the Daily Doos.  Oh, and who can forget the piles of poos!

This is a fantastic book for kids about two topics they tend to enjoy - Dinosaurs and Poo!  I'm sure my older readers will enjoy it more than the younger ones it is intended for.  The amount of pleasure year 6's derive from toilet humor is a sight not to be missed :-)

I got my copy of Dinosaur Doo from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.