SuitabookThe costume trunk
Bob Fuller
- Reading
- Before reading, invite the child to imagine a costume and a place where anything might be possible. Afterwards, discuss Courtney’s wish separately from what happens to her friends.
- Themes
- Imagination and transformation: The costume trunk provides costumes and becomes a passageway to Paddywhack Lane, where the children can be anything they want to be. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Wishes and fulfilment: Each friend has cherished hopes, wishes and dreams come true in Paddywhack Lane, while Courtney waits to learn about her own birthday wish. The plot places strong emphasis on wanting and receiving, but it does not show whether the book questions, celebrates or complicates wish fulfilment.
- Worth knowing
- The forest, mysterious trunk and passage into an enchanting land create a suspense element whose intensity is not established. The return home for bedtime suggests a contained adventure, though the ending is unclear.