Inspiring Young Readers
The Bum that Barked by Elisa Peacock, illustrated by Rowena Aitken
This rhyming picture book, with plenty of boldly coloured illustrations, tells the remarkable story of Bean the dog who has discovered that he has an unusual feature which he is keen to persuade others to appreciate. It seems that he has another voice that comes from his own bottom! Known as Bongo, this curious voice tells him that he desires fame and fortune and so the two work together as a team to devise an impressive ventriloquist act. Along with this they practice to improve their dancing and singing skills:
‘They practised: rock, blues, pop, hip-hop, dance and jazz.
Their show was slick and polished and was packed with razzmatazz’.
As they start to become famous, they have to find ways of keeping Bongo hidden from view and all is going smoothly until Bean decides to have beans on toast for breakfast, chilli for lunch and then several delicious beanie burgers for a pre- show snack. I can almost feel the eager anticipation of children as they predict what might happen when he goes on stage. Then the tension mounts still further we get the big reveal with an illustration of the evil looking green ‘parp’ as it travels down from Bean’s tum to his bum:
‘Instead of Bongo’s sweet voice: a different sound was heard,
The sound of gas escaping – their act became absurd’!
But the audience seem to love it and so Bongo feels free to show himself at last.
I must admit that I found the picture of what appears to be a man’s head singing into a microphone peeking out of a dog’s bottom rather too surreal, but maybe this needs to be tested on my three year old grandson. Will he laugh his head off or run off in fear?
I would guess that this story will be a big hit with young children who, for some reason, love talking about bottoms, farting and anything related. Lots of interesting discussion points along the way for both adults and children – does Bean in fact have a very active imagination? Or does he really have a man inside his bottom?
You will need to read it for yourself to decide. Order your copy now from Tiny Tree:
https://www.matthewjamespublishing.com/products/tiny-tree/the-bum-that-barked
Karen Argent
June 2020