Thud! Thud! Thud! It must be big! The ground is shaking ... It must be huge! The earth is quaking ... Who will be brave enough to drive it away? One night the peace of the animals is shattered by the arrival of a strange, ugly creature. Its arrival disturbs them all, but next morning when Basil the Bushbaby tries to get some sleep his peace is shattered once again by the most terrifying Thud! He decides that something must be done, the animals must be rid of this disturbance, but who will be the one to approach this terrifying new arrival? As he approaches each of the animals it seems that they all have good reason not to help and it soon becomes clear that they must tackle the problem together, but will their combined effort be enough against this giant monster?

 This is a beautifully written story about the strength of friendship and the positive outcomes of acceptance despite difference. When a new animal arrives in the middle of the night the immediate reaction of the other creatures is to consider its ugliness. When a noise disturbs their peace their reaction is to be rid of it. Each time something out of the ordinary happens there is the immediate assumption that it is more important to return to the status quo. However despite an agreement there is a considerable degree of cowardice evident in even the largest of the animals, so in the end they group together and it is the smallest who becomes the bravest.

They quickly learn that acceptance is far better than rejection but with very amusing outcomes. Along with the beautifully crafted text Nick Butterworth's finely detailed and expressive drawing style has created a beautiful picture book with a strong message. This book would be ideally suited to PSHE lessons in Years 1 and 2, explaining to children the importance of difference and acceptance. It is almost a modern day Ugly Duckling story. The inventive names Butterworth has given to each of his characters and the challenging language he uses make it a perfect book for this age group who will find threat as well as telling a great story books are also able to teach important and valuable lessons.

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2008-05-25