Elliott struggles to use the machine to make the right words, but when he discovers he can make pictures from the letters, the stories begin to flow until something terrible happens and the machine stops working. How will Elliott make stories now?
The Story Machine is a picture book overflowing with imagination. It celebrates the wonderful power of words and pictures to tell a story and to inspire creative thoughts.
Elliott is a wonderful character whose creativity doesn’t just come through in his pictures and desire to tell a story, but also in his curiosity, persistence and problem solving skills. I love that it is a humble typewriter that inspires Elliott, sparking in him a desire to create and filling him with excitement as he discovers that the pictures he creates tell a story.
Tom McLaughlin’s illustrations complement the text perfectly, stirring the imagination with the wonderful images created with the typewritten letters.
While I love picture books that tell a good story, I think my favourite books are those that spark imagination and creativity in their readers. The Story Machine fits into both categories, which makes it irresistible.
Title: The Story Machine
Author/Illustrator: Tom McLaughlin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's, $22.99 RRP
Publication Date: 1 February 2014
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781408839331
For ages: 2-6
Type: Picture Book
