Barnaby Unboxed!
The Fan Brothers
Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

The Fan Brothers (with Devin joining his older brothers for this story) take readers back to the recently reopened Perfect Pets store selling boxed creatures that have interactive personalities that have been genetically created. One such is Barnaby, ‘half mouse, half elephant’ and a tiny bit of flamingo to add the pink colour: he’s been on the shelf far too long and is eager for somebody to come in and choose him to be part of their family. Then one day, somebody does: a little girl who immediately falls for him.

Before long the two are inseparable: the girl reads him bedtime stories,

they watch the Saturday tv programme ‘Barnaby and Friends’ and go on walks together. Life is as near to perfect as possible until one Saturday morning everything changes: when they turn on the tv to watch their favourite programme Barnaby has been replaced by the new Rainbow Barnaby.. The following day the little girl asks her father to buy her a Rainbow Barnaby pet which he refuses to do. Barnaby is relieved but then notices a change in the girl’s attitude towards him as little by little she loses all interest in her playmate.

Now it’s the girl’s father who takes Barnaby on his Saturday walks and on one such, the little creature slips free of his lead intending to run away ‘just long enough for people to miss him.’ However as days turn to weeks and then months Barnaby is unable to find his way home; instead having had a narrow escape from a feline, he bonds with other lost pets, makes new friends including some squirrels that help him survive the winter. Come the spring the little girl, searching for her lost pet, comes upon a very bedraggled little creature: could it possibly be Barnaby?

She does various things to try and trigger his memories of their life together and now all she needs to do is to take him home and regain his trust: will she succeed?

Poignantly told and with its detail and varied viewpoints, an absolute delight visually, the story – longer than average for a picture book – has messages about accepting imperfection, responsibility, pets and long term commitment.