SuitabookThe Something
Rebecca Cobb
- Reading
- Read it aloud slowly and pause before each proposed explanation. Revisit the illustrations afterwards, then invite a drawing or a shared theory without insisting on one correct answer.
- Themes
- Curiosity and uncertainty: A child watches a garden hole after a ball disappears, while family members and friends offer different explanations for what may be below. The story presents curiosity and uncertainty as activities to enjoy rather than problems requiring a single answer.
- Many viewpoints: Mum, Dad, grandparents, a friend and the dog are associated with different ideas about the missing ball and the hole’s possible occupant. The differing suggestions are treated humorously and placed alongside one another, without a confirmed answer making one viewpoint correct.
- Worth knowing
- The open ending may delight children who enjoy making up answers, but could frustrate anyone expecting the mystery to be resolved. The book leaves the reality of the underground characters deliberately uncertain.