Monday, 1 May 2017

The Leaky Story by Devon Sillett and Anil Tortop (Children's, Picture book, 10/10E)

6 April 2017, EK Books, 32 pages, Paperback, Review copy, 

Summary from EK Books
A book sits abandoned on a living room shelf. While the Blossburn family happily gets on with other things like watching TV and playing video games, the book aches to be read.

The longer it sits abandoned, the more it aches. At last the book can’t take it any longer. Slowly it starts to swell. Then it starts to leak!

At first it’s only a small trickle, but eventually the Blossburns can no longer ignore the octopus, crabs and other marine life that are swirling around their suburban home. And when pirates sail out of the book, the family must band together to reclaim their living room.

Can J.J. and his parents find a way to get the characters back in the book? And in the process, will they discover that sometimes books are the best fun of all?

Nayu's thoughts 
I was intrigued by how a story can leak (like a water leak, not the type of leak where something is revealed) and was hooked from the first drips. The story is highly original, especially with how the bright and cheery illustrations depict the story involved, and describes how books work their way into our lives and become all we think about. I loved how with the inevitable water drops classic start words tumbled out of the book. 

I wasn't so keen on tentacles, but the way the entire family get caught up in the sea themed drama is captivating. Stories are about being read, being thought about, and imaginary play is extremely important in a child's world. I remember re-ennacting my favourite tales when I was young, especially Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and maybe Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Books are not just for reading, the possibilities for play time are as endless as a reader's imagination. 

Suggested read


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