Toby Laughs Last

Martha Lamon is a freelance writer and researcher based in Huntsville,
Ontario.

Toby Omeranovic is an eight-year-old boy who asks a lot of questions,
thinks deeply about the possible answers, and struggles with some of
life’s more profound situations.

In Toby Laughs Last, Toby climbs too high in a tree in order to
retrieve his kite and impress his friend Marianne. He falls and winds up
in intensive care. When he wakes up, he cannot laugh any more.
Struggling emotionally with nightmares and the experience of the
accident, Toby is also concerned that he won’t feel like laughing
again. His parents take him to the park with his friends, and when his
dad flies the kite into a tree Toby is finally able to laugh.

In Toby Shoots for Infinity, Mr. Omeranovic takes Toby and his friends
out to the park one night. Looking into the night sky, Toby ponders the
concept of infinity. He can’t understand it and the idea scares him.
He and his friends decide to count to infinity. When the principal tries
to help by programming his computer to do it for them, the computer
literally blows up. Through his experiences, Toby learns to contend with
the notion that some questions have no definite answers.

Author Jean Lemieux provides simple answers to some complex questions;
at one point, for example, Toby’s friend Marianne says that an anxiety
attack is like being in a pool and you can’t touch bottom. The books
have lively illustrations and quirky plot twists, and they move at a
pace that will keep young readers interested. Recommended.