Max: a tale of food and friendship

Max is a seagull, and of course, much as he loves fish, he also loves chips.  He befriends Bob, owner of a fish and chip shop in a seaside town, and, if he behaves himself welcoming the customers, he is rewarded with chips.  He and Bob then go fishing together in the evenings. One summer the seaside town is very quiet, the Funfair is being dismantled and shops are closing to make way for a Mega Mall. Max finds Bob’s shop closed, and flies off in search of him. Amazingly, he tracks a familiar smell, and finds Bob in his new shop. Bob is delighted to see Max, who goes back to being on his best behaviour, greeting the customers, and is rewarded with a chip (one chip?!). We then see that the ‘Closed sign’ says Bob & Max’s, as off they go fishing together.

Marc Martin’s beautifully composed illustrations for his own story are bold and richly colourful: he has won an award for illustration in his native Australia. This will be suitable for younger readers to enjoy, before they start questioning the basic concept, and the difficulties of finding one particular fish and chip shop. It is an unlikely story, but a nice idea!