Toto

by Ximo Abadía

Living in a small town, Toto wishes to escape the inevitable life in front of him. He will never become a porter, he will become an astronaut instead! He bravely packs his bags, kisses his parents goodbye and sets off for the bright lights of the big city. Even when all his money for astronaut school is stolen by thieves, his hard work and stubborn determination sees him through. The small town villagers are awoken in the night by a huge roar - and are delighted to see Toto has come back to them on a rocket - his dreams finally a reality!

This quirky, original story by the highly-acclaimed artist Ximo Abadía has an important message - never give up on your dreams. An endearing tale illustrated with vivid surrealist artwork, this story is as imaginative as it is bold.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Adventure, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Ximo Abadía is a highly acclaimed artist, living and working in Spain. He has illustrated numerous publications including The Speed of Starlight and his work was selected for the Bologna Children's Illustrator's Exhibition in 2017.

Reviews

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toto doesn't want to be like the other donkeys and just carry bags all day, he wants to be an astronaut. Toto goes on an adventure to reach his dream however, it is quite difficult at first until a loving family help him get there. His parents are worrying back at home and then Toto comes back like he said he would and takes all the donkeys to space.
A meaningful story about following your dreams and believing in yourself to be able to achieve anything told through a silly and funny story. I would read the book to FS-year 4 children as a read-aloud story. I also think there are lots of opportunities for discussions about the children's dreams, encouraging them to believe in themselves. There are also opportunities to use the book as a base for a unit of work with lots of cross-curricular links.
The illustrations are very interesting to explore, looking at the size Toto is represented at different stages of the story and how this relates to his feelings and level of achievement. There is also a page where the family block the rain (lines) from hitting Toto, representing their love and protection for him. There are lots of opportunities for using the illustrations as inspiration for the arts subjects.

[Laura Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The importance of being determined, and following your dreams. Toto almost gives up on his dream of being an astronaut. He meets a woman who did give up, who encourages him to remain confident in himself and work hard to achieve his dreams.

[Cub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good message about perserverance and working towards a dream. However something not quite there in the delivery. My four month old however loved it (possibly solely for the pic of all the umbrellas Toto fixed which he insisted on viewing repeatedly). So five stars from him. Three or four from me.