Captain Toby
Publisher: Scallywag Press
It’s a stormy night and Toby can’t sleep: so stormy that Toby starts to imagine that his house is a boat, adrift in the ocean. Navigating the house/boat requires a lot of concentration, both from Toby and his pet cat, especially when they run into a giant octopus who seems intent on fighting them.
Fortunately, a submarine (Grandma and Grandpa’s house) equipped with knitting wool guns helps out just in the nick of time and helps subdue the octopus – just in time for breakfast.
This reissue of Satoshi Kitamura’s book from 1987 means that this fun, slightly surreal tale of a boy’s dream during a storm is once more available in the UK. Kitamura’s illustration is full of colour and creativity, and adults and children will adore both his moody skies and stormy seas as well as his not-very-scary octopus (who is actually quite adorable). Perfect for a stormy night’s bedtime read or at any time a fun read is required.
