The Man

Publisher: Random House

The Man is a dialogue between a boy, John, and a tiny naked man who appears in John's room in the middle of the night, demanding clothes.

Despite the man's cantankerous demands, a bond forms between the two as John hides him from his parents.

The Man won the Kurt Maschler 'Emil' Award in 1992 and it is well deserved: the book is visually spectacular. Images such as the Man wearing a digital watch as a belt are testament to Briggs' extraordinary imagination. There is no narration, but it is a complete contrast to the wordless The Snowman.

Speech bubbles occasionally cut across the main dialogue from the cartoon-style drawings. The book is dialogue-heavy, but the two voices are distinct and expressive, and perfectly capture an enchanting friendship.

What The Man lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in message: kindness, acceptance of strangers, intolerance of prejudice. You'll never look at everyday household objects in quite the same way again…

More books like this

Jane, the Fox & Me

Author: Fanny Britt Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault & Translator: Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou

This thought-provoking graphic novel by Fanny Britt, exquisitely illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, is a real visual delight

Read more about Jane, the Fox & Me

Earthling!

Author: Mark Fearing

Bud misses his own school bus, but accidentally catches the space bus to Cosmos Academy, the best school in the galaxy. He soon makes friends with Gort and other alien children. He even plays anti-gravity ZeroBall.

Read more about Earthling!

Share this book with your friends

Use our Bookfinder to discover the perfect children's books for every age...