In a world built for Perfect Pets, Barnabus is a Failed Project, half mouse, half elephant, kept out of sight until his dreams of freedom lead him and his misfit friends on a perilous adventure. A stunning picture book from international bestsellers The Fan Brothers, joined by their brother Devin Fan.
Deep underground beneath Perfect Pets, where children can buy genetically engineered "perfect" creatures, there is a secret lab. Barnabus and his friends live in this lab, but none of them is perfect. They are all Failed Projects. Barnabus has never been outside his tiny bell jar, yet he dreams of one day seeing the world above ground that his pal Pip the cockroach has told him about: a world with green hills and trees, and buildings that reach all the way to the sky, lit with their own stars. But Barnabus may have to reach the outside world sooner than he thought, because the Green Rubber Suits are about to recycle all Failed Projects . . . and Barnabus doesn't want to be made into a fluffier pet with bigger eyes. He just wants to be himself. So he decides it's time for him and the others to escape. With his little trunk and a lot of cooperation and courage, Barnabus sets out to find freedom -- and a place where he and his friends can finally be accepted for who they are.
This suspenseful, poignant and magical story about following your dreams and finding where you truly belong will draw readers into a surreal, lushly detailed world in which perfection really means being true to yourself and your friends.
Awards:
• 2020 Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award
• 2021 Shining Willow Award short-listed
• 2021 Red Clover Award
• 2021 Governor General's Literary Awards - Children's Literature - Illustration
• 2021 Governor General's Literary Awards - Children's Literature - Illustration winner
• 2021 Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable - Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook of the Year
• 2021 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award winner
• 2022 Kate Greenaway Medal
• 2022 Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award winner
- A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Year
- One of Amazon.com’s Best of the Year Picks
“A heartfelt, timely allegory celebrating diversity, bravery, and solidarity.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews
"[A]n ambitious drama of rebellion, escape, and inclusivity rewarded." —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly
“The text and illustrations mesh wonderfully to convey the drama of the escape and the critical roles teamwork and friendship play in the animals’ success.” —STARRED REVIEW, Booklist
Juvenile Fiction / Animals - Pets / Social Themes - Friendship / Action & Adventure - Survival Stories
Ages 5-9
72 pages | 10.41" x 10.38"