Emmie builds something new by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall

Emmie is an inventor, one who tackles every problem head on. She lives in an attic where all the unwanted things are stored, and she cleverly fashions them into something else more useful. And she is tiny, a little mouse living amongst a pile of throwaways. 

All is good until the day she sees a known shape against the curtain and cowers when a pair of very alert eyes peer through her window.

She thinks about the problem, then collects all the things she may need. She makes an inventive lion which springs into action. But it does not keep together and the cat is still there, menacing.  So Emma tries again. She makes a dog like creature and they swoop upon their enemy, but again without success.

So she thinks and thinks, realising that she will have to think bigger. And this she does. A huge creations stamps, stomps and splashes its way to the cat. The cat is so scared that we only see its back end jumping off the page. But as it sits damp and scrawny beneath a chair, Emma can see it is not scary at all. She has another idea,  she smooches up to the cat, making an automatic comb for its fur and a bell collar. Together they live in the attic where they are now the best of friends. 

This lovely story of two enemies becoming friends will have the readers searching each page for the incredible detail.

This story about friendship and kindness, is beautifully illustrated with detailed, involved images. Each page is a study in itself, as readers follow the steps Emmie takes to develop her inventions. Each of her three animals is an absolute treat, as readers check out the rejected detritus and how it is recycled to make a ferocious creature.

A lovely story of friendship and kindness, as Emma changes her mind when she sees the helpless kitten, a far cry from the ferocious animal she spied through the curtain. Children will laugh along with Emma as she builds things to terrify the cat, and sing her praises when she takes the kitten into the attic as her friend.  A disarming tale of friendship.

Themes: Friendship, Cats, Mice, STEM, Invention, Building.

Fran Knight