In the Attic

by Hiawyn Oram

A lovely story, stunningly illustrated, about the imaginary world of children.

A small boy goes up a ladder to the attic and spends a happy day absorbed in imaginary games with the mice, beetles and spiders. Then, through the windows, he goes and finds a special friend – a tiger. But Mum says that they have no attic! She just can’t have found the right ladder.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Hiawyn Oram is a very successful author of children's books in Britain. Her books include the popular Not-So-Grizzly Bear Stories, the Animal Heroes series, and Mona the Vampire. She lives in London.

Reviews

[Shaneka Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lovely was looking for something to share by Hiawyn Oram on Twitter and had the joy of coming across this. Read aloud by this young lady, so will put the link here: https://twitter.com/AbbeysL4/status/1...

Less than 2 minutes haha, so a lovely lunchtime treat. Could do a tad better on the reading front, but wishing everyone happy reading and joy in literature.

[Ivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing book to read this was!

This book might have been 'boring' if not for the artwork present. It clearly shows the vivid and creative imagination the author has and the care that has been put into creating such a delightful read. Not only is the artwork amazing; showing the readers vast landscapes, endless universes, wild savannahs and much more, it also hides very strong messages within that apply to every age group. One good example is when the main character finds a friend, The speech bubbles show no words, just stripes and the characters' colours. This image alone shows that even though the friend is very different to the the main character, they are still able to communicate and understand each other. it comes to a close with a very surprising and clever way which I shall dare not to disclose. All I can say is that when read to a classroom of Year 3 pupils, their faces say it all... It literally leaves them speechless.

[Beth Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the twist at the end when we find out that there isn't actually an attic in the house - it highlights how powerful the imagination can be! There is a lot to explore in the illustrations, which could provide a great source for writing descriptive sentences. Also the idea that the attic becomes whatever the boy wants is a great source of inspiration; children could write about their own imaginary attic - what they would see and do, and where it would take them.

[Ellie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a heart warming and intriguing read. When a little boy has absolutely everything, but is still bored, he finds the power of the imagination. He transports himself into new worlds and onto epic adventures- all from the comfort of his attic. He goes to the pyramids, space, and hovers above cities. The story is quite humorous in that at the end of the day the little boy leaves the attic to inform his mother all about his experiences- and the reader finds that they do not actually have an attic. This reveals the limits of the adult imagination, and it is lovely to see a child be so enlightened and self confident in his imagination - he know that she has just not found the ladder.
The ladder itself is a very interesting element of the story, wondering what the ladder actually is - a real thing that the boy has found, or just a representation of the imagination that allows us to enter new worlds?
The illustrations are particularly strong- I really enjoyed how the shape and setting of the attic, which is almost like a blank canvas, slot perfectly into the shapes of the worlds that the boy creates.

[Chris1988 · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy even though he has lots of toys to play with finds himself bored but then he climbs into the attic and finds a world with endless possibilities.

I have mixed feeling about this book. It’s an interesting concept trying to capture a child’s imagination and make it into a story for children to enjoy but I’m not quite sure it works as a child’ s picture book. As an adult reading this book I can appreciate the perspective of an adult on the child’s imagination but feel this would be lost on a child.

I think this story would be suitable for a starting point for a literacy lesson in higher KS1 and early KS2. A lesson could be built around creating their own imaginary world that they can play and escape to. However I think if this book was used in lesson for lower KS1 and EYFS the children, they might feel that this story is criticizing the way they play as this story could be too close to the way they imagine and play.

I feel that this is one of those stories that are enjoyed by many but by older children and adults rather than younger children.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hiawyn Oram & Satoshi Kitamura

A small boy finds himself bored with millions of toys to play with, he decides to climb up a ladder to the attic and spends a day engrossed in imaginary games with mice, beetles, spiders and finally a tiger in which he shares his experiences with. This is a great book about the creative world of children’s imagination. I think it is perfect to trigger that creative side of children.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

To tell the truth, I'm not sure what I think about this book.

The message - imagination keeps you from being bored - is a good one, and the story is interesting, and the artwork is just fine, but for some reason it's not adding up in my head as a keeper book. I might pass this off to my nieces' school.

[Brittany White · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting book about the creative world of children's imaginations. I think children will be inspired to invent their own imaginative worlds after reading this book, and living in a world where children can hardly entertain themselves, that is a great thing to cherish!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imo, this attempt to stimulate and give praise unto a child's imagination falls short, except for the page with the windows to other worlds. But I can def. see why others like it.

[Sofía Laprida Sepulveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha pasado algo súper especial con este libro. Lo he leído dos veces porque la primera me costó un poco comprenderlo, con la visión de adulto no lograba entender del todo lo que pasaba. Le pedí a mi hermana que lo leyera para que me dijera que le parecía y lo encontró increíble, es por eso que decidí volver a leerlo, pero ahora abriendo más mi mente, tratando de pensar como un niño e introducirme en su mundo. Fue ahí cuando comprendí la magia del libro álbum, el cómo valora y fomenta la imaginación, este libro inspira a mandar a volar tu imaginación, a ir a mundos fantásticos donde ocurra todo lo que quieras, a ser feliz de la forma en la que lo desees. Creo que esto es algo valioso hoy en día, donde se espera que los niños vivan como adultos, donde muchas veces se les priva de su imaginación porque se espera X o Y cosa de ellos, donde se les llama "soñadores" o "poco realistas", pero como adultos tenemos que fomentar en nuestros niños la lectura, la imaginación y todo lo que los haga felices.

Además rescatar que las ilustraciones son muy lindas, hacen que entres de lleno en este mundo imaginario, que te contagies de sus pensamientos. Muy buen libro.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Attic by Hiawyn Oram- Children’s illustrated colour picture book- The story is about a child who owns lots of toys but now they do not interest him. He wishes to find something different. He uses the power of imagination. He transports himself in the world of adventure at the attic of his house. Here he meets mice, small insects, spiders. He joins the spiders and climbs & opens one window. Just then all other windows also open. He finds an engine. He repairs it and now the engine is working. He wishes to show his talent to his friend. He finds a friend. He shares a game with his friend from morning to evening. In the evening, he comes down from the attic. He informs his mother about his adventures on the attic. Here the author informs the twist in the story- there is no attic in the house. The story reveals the level of imagination of a child. Illustrator has created & painted the attic into shapes which a child can imagine. I have read this book in Hindi language. Coloured illustrations help the reader to relate to the story.

[Ligaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's book authors and illustrators, I've had this (and many other) Satoshi Kitamura book on my shelves for ages, and even though I am now officially a senior citizen, I'm keeping this one as I winnow down my book shelves. Lovely, simple illustrations that can be complex at the same time, with a charming story.

[Frances Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous page layouts and imagery right from the first page showing a beautiful insight into a land of imagination and wonder, even before you reach the ending. Very cute

[Judith Johnson]

A favourite of my son’s, both when he was small, and now that he is himself a parent.

[Krishnapriya Kamalakshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are whole new worlds waiting for us. Only we must know where to look.

[Geovanna Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es demasiado corto pero tiene unas ilustraciones preciosas y que recomiendo mucho para los niños que los llevará a volar su imaginación.

[Dani Fino · Rating 5 out of 5]

El libro del meme: no lo entenderías 🚬🚬🚬

[Lucas Sibona · Rating 5 out of 5]

HERMOSO

[Bianca Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very simple but can be a great stimulus for creative writing.

It is about a little boy who has all the toys in the world but is still bored. So he climbed I to his attic where he found different animals and games to play. When he came down to tell his mum about his adventure she is confused because they don't even have an attic. That's when you find out it was all in his imagination.

I like this book because the pictures tell a story by themselves and this can generate discussion amongst KS1 children about what might happen next. The pictures are quite abstract aswell which helps to give the book a magical feel.

A very enjoyable read.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy was bored, although he had many toys. Using the ladder on his toy firetruck, he climbed through an attic hatch to see what was up there. What he found was the best way to use his imagination through discoveries and adventures and play. Fun illustrations with so much to see.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for ImAgInAtIoN!

[Alejo · Rating 4 out of 5]

delirium tremens! fantástico!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

read at CAAEYC 2013

[La Revistería Comics · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un viaje a la infancia para los grandes y al presente y futuro para el niñaje todo.

[Barbara]

My 1st gaders loved it!