Thing-Thing.

Gregory Bryan is a member of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

Archibald Crimp is spoiled rotten. It is his birthday, but he is so used to getting everything that he wants that he has reached the stage where he has almost anything anybody could want. “These are just like the toys I already have,” Archibald complains after opening his generous assortment of birthday presents. “Bring me something I like!” he demands. Archibald’s long-suffering father runs to the toy store to try to locate something—anything—that will please his son. At the toy store, Mr. Crimp discovers the Thing-Thing—a stuffed animal that is “not quite a bunny rabbit, but not quite a dog either, nor a bear, or cat for that matter.” Alas, Archibald’s immediate reaction is to toss the new toy out the window.

Thing-Thing is Cary Fagan and Nicolas Debon’s creative, thought-provoking criticism of spoilt children and spoiling parents. Although there is a lot to like about the book, the spoilt boy is not developed sufficiently to be believable. What’s more, his father’s immovable, disciplinarian stance at book’s end is inconsistent with his earlier behaviour. As a peek (literally a peek through multi-storey windows) into people’s lives, however, the book is interesting because of its originality. Thing-Thing gets the reader thinking and wondering. Debon’s gouache artwork is especially alluring given the illustrations’ various interesting viewpoints and perspectives. Recommended.