Pernickety Boo

Meet Pernickety Boo – an umbrella! However, he is a very special umbrella. He starts ordinary but after being used by a very forgetful sorcerer to stir a magic potion, acquires magical powers. His absentminded creator leaves him on the Underground and after a long spell in the Lost Property Office, Pernickety Boo meets young Sylvie Moonshine and a life of adventure opens up.

Emerging from the tradition of Pinocchio and The Little Wooden Horse and created by the storytelling genius of Sally Gardner this is a book to delight a young audience. Pernickety Boo is a very real character. He may be able to speak and he loves to eat gloves, he can understand cat – but he  is still an umbrella looking for a home. He finds that home with Sylvie Moonshine and her mums. They also step off the page bridging the gap between a magical and the real ordinary world, ensuring our complete belief.  Gardner’s prose is immediately readable and satisfying as she handles the mixture of fantastical and everyday with consummate skill. Complementing the experience are the illustrations by Chris Mould. His distinctive use of pen and ink is the perfect match for Gardner’s lively text. Combining chapter headings, page decoration and some full page images, Mould brings a visual element that does not just add to the experience but is an integral element of the whole. A great book to share.