Barry

by Colin Thompson

Barry came to save the world but has been stuck down the back of the couch, in a memorably inventive story with a unique take on environmental themes

 

Barry may be no larger than a can of beans, but his powers are awesome. The trouble is, he has been trapped down the back of the couch for more than 50 years, unable to do the job he was built for. His creators have gone back to their own planet and without his control the Earth is gradually falling apart. Floods, droughts, wars, and reality TV are only a few of the things that are threatening the whole of civilization. With only a bright red lipstick to help him, can Barry emerge from the darkness and save the world before it is too late?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Environment

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2011

About the author

Since he started writing and illustrating children's books in 1990, Colin Thompson has had more than 50 books published. He has received several awards, including an Aurealis Award for the novel HOW TO LIVE FOREVER and the CBC Picture Book of the Year in 2006 for THE SHORT AND INCREDIBLY HAPPY LIFE OF RILEY. He has been shortlisted for many other awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award - the most prestigious children's literature prize in the world.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Colin lives in Bellingen, Australia. His books with Random House Australia include HOW TO LIVE FOREVER, numerous picture books, THE FLOODS series, THE DRAGONS series, THE BIG LITTLE BOOK OF HAPPY SADNESS picture book, which has been shortlisted for the 2009 Children’s Book Council Award for Best Picture Book, and FREE TO A GOOD HOME.

Reviews

[Rosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this at work to see if it would go with a robot themed story time I am working on. It started off cute with the robot falling behind the couch and mysteriously controlling the Earth. As the story went on it took a bizarre turn with dirty words being written on baby hands and seemingly ending in a new ice age? It got a little too weird for me.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is difficult to assign stars to, since I don't think it works narratively or thematically as a picture book for young children, but for tweens and teens who could pick up on the humor, enjoy the individual collage elements, and make the connection to global warming, it could be an interesting exploration of short story structure and science fiction motifs.

[Gaby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this style of book from Colin Thompson. It is fun, engaging and short so that I can read it to grades 5 and 6 without them getting distracted. You know they are listening when a discussion erupts after Barry writes a rude word (that he had learned from the father)... the text doesn't say what word exactly, but the illustration shows that it starts with a 'B...' - a hefty debate erupted as to what the father would or wouldn't say, as he has kids (a misguided opportunity for inferential comprehension?) :D

But this book covers a lot more than just Barry being lost down the back of the couch. It touches on current issues such as global warming and whether we are aware of our impact on the environment and our communities. A funny ending has Barry preparing for another ice age to end all the issues - after all, it worked last time?

Like Free to a Good Home, this story is fun and the illustrations are wonderfully creepy and detailed.

[Lyn Battersby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyn is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Lyn herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

I will be reviewing and rating this once the AAs are announced.

[Dee-Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures, quirky dialogue, but it was a bit sombre and creepy for me and my son twice fell asleep half way through the book whilst I was reading it to him (not sure if this was a plus point or a minus point for this book).

[Sam Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my class, they thought it was ok. I though it was average.