Review: Mr Brown's Bad Day

Mr Brown is a Very Important Businessman and everywhere he goes he carries his Very Important Briefcase. But one day, Mr Brown's Very Important Briefcase goes missing and suddenly all his Very Important Meetings can wait. For Mr Brown's most treasured possessions are in that briefcase and he will do everything within his power to reclaim it.

Mr Brown's Bad Day, written by Lou Peacock and illustrated by Alison Friend, is an adventure through Mr Brown's colourful town. Children will love to follow the briefcase as it slips out of Mr Brown's reach again and again, all the while wondering what it contains that could be so important to him.

The town is filled with animal characters enjoying their day - families playing in parks, children eating ice-creams, friends sharing rides at the fairground - all the things Mr Brown would never normally do in his busy, busy days.

Although Mr Brown is portrayed as a tiger in a neat business suit and bowler hat, Friend's illustrations suggest a gentle nature; his smile is kind, his feet are bare and his colleagues cluster around him. There are clues to follow on every page as readers pursue the briefcase along with Mr Brown. A baby reaches out to grab it, a tail hooks it accidentally, a concerned teacher tries to find its owner. Through it all Mr Brown leaves more and more behind, including his umbrella, his hat, then his coat, as he never gives up on chasing what is important to him.

Mr Brown is finally successful in his quest and we learn the contents of his briefcase! Young readers will definitely agree that they are indeed very important.

Title: Mr Brown's Bad Day
Author: Lou Peacock
Illustrator: Alison Friend
Publisher: Nosy Crow, $24.99
Publication Date: 28 April 2020
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781788003971
For ages: 2 – 5
Type: Picture Book