Thing-Thing

by Cary Fagan, Nicolas Debon (Illustrator)

Thing-Thing was neither a Teddy bear nor a rabbit; not a stuffed dog or cat. It was something like each of those, and nothing at all you could name. But it had something special. It had the hope that one day it would find a child to love it and talk to it and make it tea parties and take it to bed. A child it could love back.

Certainly Archibald Crimp was not that child. He had just thrown Thing-Thing out the open sixth-floor window of the Excelsior Hotel.

Oh, dear, thought Thing-Thing to itself. This is bad, this is very bad.

Cary Fagan and Nicolas Debon have created a story so rich in words and images that, despite taking place in a matter of seconds, Thing-Thing will be remembered as vividly as a child’s favorite toy.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 2008

About the author

Cary Fagan has written numerous books for children, including What Are You Doing, Benny?, Little Blue Chair and Mr. Zinger's Hat, which was awarded the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the IODE Jean Throop Award. He has also won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for his body of work. Cary was born and raised in Toronto, where he continues to live with his family.

Reviews

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am still shaking my head over the reviewer who said she'd "cut out the stories on each level of the hotel".
Without those stories, you'd basically have:
1)Spoiled boy gets toy
2)Spoiled boy throws toy out the window
3)Toy falls 5 flights into a baby carriage. The end.

No, the fun of this story is watching Thing-Thing fall past each floor and the reactions--or lack thereof, of the people inside, finally leading up to Thing-Thing getting the perfect owner and Spoiled Boy getting his comeuppance.

You could cut all that out if this was for a toddler. But the humor is clearly aimed at elementary age kids. And I think they'll have a good time with this book.

[Lupine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about this book that I just really really liked. The fact that almost the whole story takes place while Thing-Thing is falling out a window? The funny quirky characters? The sweet ending? I don't know -- it just adds up to something I liked. A lot.

[Courtney Angelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not really enjoy this book. It is a story about a young boy, Archibald, who is spoiled by his parents and very selfish and ungrateful. He insists on a new and expensive toy he doesn't already own. His father finds "thing-thing," who is not expensive, but very special. Archibald hates him and throws him out the window. He makes his fall into the lap of a crying baby, he immediately calms down and loves him. I think the story was too confusing for children, even with the pictures to help guide the way. I do like the message the story sent: you should always be grateful for the things you're given, because if you aren't, someone else will be.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every toy needs a child who loves it, even a Thing-Thing!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Structure was a bit bizarre, though I enjoyed the illustration style

[Gregory Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps this book appeals to me due to my lifelong affinity for The Island of Misfit Toys from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". But that's only the beginning. Thing-Thing tells the story of what happens when a spoiled brat named Archibald Crimp (no doubt, a second cousin of Veruca Salt) unceremoniously rejects his father's latest desperate birthday gift, pitching it out a sixth floor window of the Excelsior Hotel.

That gift is Thing-Thing, a strange stuffed animal—"not quite a bunny, but not quite a dog either." The remainder of the book chronicles the rejected toy's adventure as it descends toward the busy city sidewalk below. Floor by floor, we see a variety of activities momentarily interrupted by Thing-Thing sightings. There's a distraught hockey player nursing an injury, a crazed businessman shucking a 17-battery must-have and then there's a love-struck Alex, nervously attempting to propose to the more assured Bethany.

The pages alternate from Thing-Thing's world en plein air to the simultaneous life moments inside the Excelsior. Nicolas Debon's illustrations match the text perfectly, mixing up the point of view. At times, the toy looks in; in other instances, the hotel patrons look out. Perhaps the most engaging pictures capture the fall, from aerial and side views. The book's design is also fresh, with curvy text and falling letters. One spread is a centerfold, requiring the reader to turn the book to read, as a nesting robin observes Thing-Thing's descent. As a bonus, the book jacket, when removed and reversed becomes a poster.

For the squeamish, rest assured, there is a happy ending, at least for Thing-Thing, if not Archibald.

I have read this book several times to primary and early intermediate classes and it is always a hit. Thing-Thing is instantly likable. The changing perspectives make for a lively read. While all the hotel characters attract interest, nothing catches kids' attention quite like the boy-girl scene with hearts dancing around their heads, topped by reference to a kiss. "EWWWW!" Yes, they love it.

And so do I. Not just one page, but the whole darned thing. For me, Thing-Thing is just the thing!

Read more of my reviews at http://boyzread.blogspot.com/.

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Thing-Thing is “not quite a bunny rabbit, but not quite a dog either.” He’s some kind of stuffed animal that Mr. Crimp buys for his son’s birthday. But Archibald throws Thing-Thing out of the Excelsior Hotel’s sixth-floor window. Instead of being loved by a child and made “sticky with jam,” Thing-Thing finds himself falling to an uncertain future. On his way down, a variety of people catch glimpses of him from within their hotel rooms. In each case, Thing-Thing’s brief presence makes a small difference to someone. Thing-Thing eventually lands on the blanket of a crying child. Immediately, the baby stops crying; and for the first time, Thing-Thing experiences the love of a child. Nicolas Debon includes a variety of perspectives of the falling Thing-Thing – from a mother robin looking down at him, to a wide view of the city spread out around him with Thing-Thing at the centre, to a close-up of a spider underneath a gargoyle, its web seemingly big enough to catch the falling stuffed animal. Each illustration, except for the last, is a wide double-page spread. The last one is very special because Thing-Thing’s epic adventure is over and so is the need for the wide perspective. Instead, we see a close intimate look at Thing-Thing cuddled together with the child who loves him.

Reviewed by Ken Kilback in Canadian Children's Book News
Summer 2008 VOL.31 NO.3

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story - a story that starts out with a selfish child and ends up with a pacified child. Thing-Thing is a toy not wanted by the first child who throws him out the window of a hotel. As he passes floor after floor and window after window, Thing-Thing sees many different people, but he just wants to belong to a child who will love him. The ending of this story is satisfying and adorable. Nicely illustrated.
I used this book for the Summer part of the 2023 52BookClub reading challenge, prompt "Pick Your Destination: in the city."

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute predictable story of a stuffed animal (neither teddy bear nor rabbit nor stuffed dog or cat) is thrown out the 6th floor window by a bratty boy who doesn't like his parents' last ditch attempt at a novel birthday present. Thing-thing falls through the sky and from disdain to love (that's the predictable part.) But what its thoughts as it falls and the glimpses into people's lives on each of the floors on its slow-mo descent are insightful sweet, and fun.
There's too much text for the preschool/stuffed animal set, but older kids will enjoy the story. I love the falling Thing-Thing's thought as a response to a spider's warning to look out for the ground. "But I can't really look out for the ground, thought Thing-Thing. It is more like the ground should look out for me."
OK, on that quote alone I'll give this book another half a star for a 3 1/2 stars!

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book -- a spoiled boy has a birthday, doesn't like any of his presents, throws one -- a stuffed animal named Thing-Thing, because it's not really a rabbit, not really a bear, not anything really -- out the window of his hotel room on a very high floor. Thing Thing is a bit disconcerted, and as it falls it notices all sorts of interesting things happening on the floors as they pass. Thing Thing thinks of how "it had hoped to be given to child who would love it, and talk to it, and make it tea parties, and dress it up, and hang onto it when sad or lonely, and get it sticky with jam, and take it to bed." Thing Thing was feeling very sorry for itself. But not to worry, it all works out in the end...

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an attempt to placate his discontented son Archibald on his special birthday weekend in the big city, Mr. Crimp finds Thing-Thing, a undefinable stuffed animal, on the top shelf of a toy store down the street from their vacation hotel. Ungrateful Archibald throws the toy out the hotel window upon setting eyes on it, and the bulk of the story involves the people Thing-Thing encounters during his plummet several stories to the hotel lobby below. What will become of Thing-Thing? Read the book and find out!
Unlike Archibald, I fell instantly in love with Thing-Thing in this delightul book by Canadian author Cary Fagan with whimsical illustrations by French artist Nick Debon.

[Skye Kilaen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's books of all times. A spoiled kid who has everything reacts with disdain when his desperate parents present him with a stuffed animal that's not quite a dog, cat, squirrel, rabbit, or mouse. As poor Thing-Thing falls helplessly past window after window of the high-rise hotel building, we see tiny vignettes about what's happening in each room and how the sight of Thing-Thing affects each person who sees it. I couldn't believe how much depth of story Fagan and Debon packed into each 2-page spread, with so few words. Thing-Thing finally stops falling and discovers that the world may be a pretty nice place after all.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dizzying perspectives, deadpan musings and the small scale dramas of everyday life turn a slo-mo tumble from a sixth storey window into an entertaining peek at excess, ingratitude and the thrill of being loved.

You can listen in on our chat about this book on our Just One More Book! Children's Book Podcast.

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dear, if slightly odd, story about a stuffed toy that isn't quite a rabbit or a dog or a bear that is thrown out of a window by an odious boy. As poor Thing-Thing falls many stories, he observes life going on through the windows and has hopes that he will find someone to love him. The people inside the windows are all at various stages of finding meaning in their own lives and notice Thing-Thing as he falls past. It's a lovely little optomistic story.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A naughty, spoiled child (think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), heaves his parent's last ditch present effort (an undefined stuffed animal- hence thing thing) out the window of their skyscraper hotel. Thing-thing catches the eye of many people has he plummets to the ground. All ends well for thing-thing when he finally makes a soft landing.

[Catherine Woodman]

I loved this book--it is really silly, and then it is really funny, and then it is really sweet--I think that for a book that parents would enjoy reading to their kids and then the kid would ultimately enjoy reading on their own, and finally that you might want to go on and read to your kid, this is a good "never heard of it" book to get for a new baby.

[Tamara]

I like that Thing-Thing holds a different value for everyone who meets it. As with all things and people...

Favorite Quote:

But I can't really look out for the ground, thought Thing-Thing. It is more like the ground should look out for me.

[Tobinsfavorite · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have an affection for this book that is not justified by the story inside it. I like the art, I like the snapshots of life, and I like the end. Also, since everybody's glad the bratty kid isn't theirs, I like the beginning.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful miniature stories within this story of a stuffed animal defenestrated by an evil child. It shows what he sees through the windows of a seven story building on his way down to the ground floor and a new life.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

uhm that was kind of stupid... i guess it was like a cause and affect sort of thing but really it was too long for the level it seems to be intended...

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel perspective. I like it, but I'm not sure if children will get the story. In order to fully appreciate the story, you may need more life experience than your average child could bring to it.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

what a strange book. enjoyed the story...too many words. just plain strange.

[Tams · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was very turned off because of the really bratty spoiled child at the beginning of the book and the parents reaction to his fit, but I did wind up loving the ending.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text and story bring this picture book above the preschool level, and into the 1st grade and up category. A good recommendation for a read aloud/mystery reader.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange toy finally finds where he belongs

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all parents and toddlers. Period. I just ordered this on amazon.com.

[Tina B · Rating 2 out of 5]

stuffed animal means different things to different people