Thing-Thing

Cary Fagan; Illustrations by Nicolas Debon
Tundra Books

When Thing-Thing is purchased as a birthday gift for a little boy, his heart soars. His dream to be a much loved toy is quickly squashed when the very spoiled boy rejects his gift, throwing him out the window of his hotel building. Thing-Thing is difficult to classify, not exactly a dog or a rabbit, but something in between. It is a thinking Thing however, and we get to hear all his thoughts as he plummets down from the sixth floor.

The neatest part about the book is the bulk of the action actually happens in several seconds - Thing Thing falling from the building. From a reader's perspective, the fall is in slow motion. We see the inhabitants of each floor and hear their thoughts as Thing Thing passes. Someone on each floor spies the tumbling stuffed creature, and the sight of him triggers memories and thoughts.

The illustrations here are quite detailed and add a richness to the story. Unlike some picture books which only have a few words per page, this one is much wordier, which is great for older children. It's a fun, suspenseful book, with the readers wondering what fate befalls poor Thing-Thing.

For a great gift, pair with . . .

a unique plush "thing" from Giant Microbes. These are stuffed creatures that look like tiny microbes — only a million times their actual size! GIANTmicrobes make great learning tools for parents and educators, as well as amusing gifts for anyone with a healthy sense of humor.

Each toy is accompanied by a fun tag with information and images of the real microbe it represents. All items are available as GIANTmicrobes Originals (5"-7" dolls) and Petri Dishes (w/ 3 mini microbes inside) Chicken Pox pictured above, Penicillin to the right.