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It Was't Me ISBN: 9780007420674
Jeffers, Oliver
Published by Harpercollins, 2013
The five Hueys are usually happy siblings, but just occasionally they find something to get cross about, and when their friend Gillespie finds them arguing one day, he wants to know why they are fighting. They begin to blame each other, and in the end, they can't remember what all the fuss was about. Gillespie solves the whole problem by asking if they want to see a dead fly - which of course they do, and the fight is forgotten. To give this bald resume tells you nothing about this remarkable picture book. The Hueys (and Gillespie) are little egg-shaped creatures with stick legs and very expressive faces. When in the midst of their argument, their speech bubbles are full of scribbled crayon, and the completely white background of the pictures emphasises the relationships between all the little creatures. The very odd ending with them all looking at the dead fly is just the sort of thing that kids would do and shows up the silliness of the original argument. A remarkable picture book that would work well in schools.
Age: 5+