Marvin has three work friends who prefer to plan practical jokes rather than work. Sometimes Barry, Shelly and Ivan's jokes can get very out of hand.
'Marvin loves a joke but he wonders if a joke is only a joke when everyone is laughing.'
Marvin's friends don't notice that they are hurting his feelings until he is missing from work.
Where is Marvin?
Sue deGennaro's Missing Marvin demonstrates how sometimes practical jokes are funny but at times they are frustrating, embarrassing and emotionally hurtful to the person who is the recipient of the joke. Her illustrations and colour palette show the range of emotions that the characters feel as time passes and the jokes escalate.
Missing Marvin is set away from the school environment allowing children to safely think about and explore the topic of bullying from a distance. Some readers may even recognise themselves in Marvin or his friends.
Books like Missing Marvin are important to create and share as they foster emphatic children who will one day be adults who value and care about others.
Find out more about Sue deGennaro in an this KBR interview and explore other books she has written or illustrated; The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog, Peas and Quiet, Millie Loves Ants, Max and George, and Button Boy.
Title: Missing Marvin
Author/Illustrator: Sue deGennaro
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 April 2018
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742769509
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Books
