The Barnabus Project

The Barnabus Project is a simply stunning book. I found myself poring over the pictures and loved all the quirky creatures. There are lots of powerful messages here and so much to discuss: following your dreams, accepting yourself, courage. friendship... I can’t wait to share this gorgeous book with the children in my next assembly - I know they will love it just as much as I did.

What a breath of fresh air. This picture book is nothing less than exquisite. Beautiful in depth illustrations and carefully chosen words which have deep meaning on many different levels.
This would be a brilliant book to use with older children to celebrate and embrace our differences which will lead so some very in depth and meaningful conversations.

I’m in looove! With a mousofant called Barnabus. He and his fellow pets don’t quite meet the criteria for the pets in the Perfect Pets Shop, live in bell jars in the “failed projects” corner of the underground lab, awaiting their “recycling” by the Green Suits.
But wait! Barnabus has heard tales of a sparkling silver lake, green trees and mountains that reach all the way to the sky.
So, he gathers his fellow failed pets and makes a run for it.
To call the illustration “charming” would do them a disservice, they are simply delightful. And my only regret is, that the story wasn’t any longer. Hoping for a sequel!!

This was a lovely book that has a very strong message of acceptance and diversity. The main character is Barnabus half mouse and half elephant and he is just adorable who dreams about seeing the stars and the outside world. Barnabus won’t give up on his dream of being free and he helps his friends who are also failed projects of different species and colours to find freedom as well.

In the story the friends are living in bell jars labelled as failed projects. To be able to succeed in their mission to escape all the fail projects need to work together. Their friendship is strong which we can clearly see and they stick together.

One of the main lessons is acceptance. To love ourselves the way we are and to feel proud of ourselves.

The art in this story is just beautiful, the illustrations are full of small, fine details and it is really colourful. There are illustrations on every single page which makes this book full of art and it makes the story come to life and the children were able to follow it easily.

One thing that I wish is that there could be a bit more text and depth story just because of the topics that this book focuses on. I would had liked if the main themes would have been explored a little more.

Overall a great picture book.

An absolutely amazing book - the story, the illustrations. The Fan Brothers never fail to disappoint and their stories will outlive us all.

In a world were only perfect pets are what people want, not-so-perfect pets like Barnabus are not tolerated, and are considered Failed Attempts, destined for recycling. But Barnabus dreams of freedom and of a world away from the underground labs they are kept in, and he is not ready to go without a fight. The Fan brothers, similarly to Shaun Tan, excel at creating alternative worlds, Beautifully illustrated, using their signature dream-like style, and superb use of colour, this tale celebrates differences but also offers a potent and strong condemnation of our society’s obsession with perfection.

I was captivated by this story and the illustrations from the very beginning. It was such a sad story about the rejects from the Perfect Petshop, who are destined to live in the basement until they can be recycled and made perfect. This is the heartwarming story of how they escape. “Nothing is impossible,” says Barnabus.

I was expecting to award 5 stars but I felt the story ran out of energy towards the end. The message on the final page is about sticking together but it was actually Barnabus who freed all the other rejects & there wasn’t much in the way of teamwork in the story. A stronger ending in my opinion would have been to accept everyone as they are, perfect or otherwise.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely story with delightful illustrations and it will appeal to a wide audience.

The Fan Brothers produce beautiful books and this is no exception. It is a stunning book and readers will be going back to it time and time again to marvel at the artwork.

In a world where pets are made to be perfect, Barnabus - a half mouse, half elephant, finds himself encased in a class jar labelled FAIL and put on a shelf with all the other failed projects. Barnabus dreams of the world above the laboratory, a world of lakes and trees and mountains, that he has heard about thanks to Pip the cockroach. Faced with the threat of being recycled by the green rubber suits, Barnabus decides to take action, and he, along with the other failed projects make a daring bid for freedom…

Barnabus and his friends in the failed project section of the lab are not perfect and this book is a celebration of being different. The green rubber suits want to recycle the failed projects and turn them into perfect pets but Barnabus and his friends dash to freedom to find a world where they can be accepted for who they are. This is a great message for young readers; they should be proud of who they are and should celebrate their differences. The story is also about realising your hopes and dreams and shows that with resilience and team-work you can achieve anything.

The illustrations are absolutely sumptuous. The pets are imaginative and charming and the colours throughout the book are lush and vivid.

It is a lovely adventure story with big and important messages at its heart. You don’t have to be perfect to fit in, being yourself is more than enough.

Recommended for 5+.

With thanks to Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the advanced reader copy.

Very nice book with a great theme,

The Barnabus Project By Eric Fan.

Barnabus is a hybrid pet half mouse and half elephant, he has been listed as a “Failed Project” and lives in a bell jar in a lab far below the Perfect Pets store, where the successful hybrid pets are sold. Barnabus with other Failed pets plans an escape. And further is the story of there escape from the lab.

The book narrates a very nice message through the story, i.e "Nothing is Impossible", though all of the pets are marked Failed Projects and are kept in Jars there will to escape and see the world there friend Pip, the cockroach has described helps them to escape.

The illustrations are very nice and they go very well with the narration. It is really a nice book for kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the eARC.

I really enjoyed this book and thought that the images were a delight.

The story was a little sad and I really felt for Barnabus and his friends.

I liked his determination and the ending was great

It is 4 stars from me for this one – highly recommended!

This is such a lovely story, about accepting yourself and others for who and how they are. The illustrations are brilliant too.

The Barnabus Project is the most curious, imaginative tale, beautifully illustrated with mysterious underground labs, intricate secret tunnels and captivating glass bell jars lined on a shelf with the most wonderful creatures underneath. I can honestly say it's like no other picture book we've read so far, in a really, really good way.

Deep underground, beneath the Perfect Pets store there is a secret lab. And in the lab sit a series of glass bell jars, housing failed pet projects. Among them is Barnabus, who is half mouse, half elephant.

Pip the cockroach tells Barnabus about the beauty of the world above and he dreams of what it would be like to be out there. One day the green suits come down and slap a 'fail' stamp on the bell jar, which means Barnabus and his pals will be recycled. The race is on and they have to escape, but have these 'failed projects' got what it takes to make it out and what will they find if they get out into the world above?

There's so much daring adventure and pure imagination in The Barnabus Project and we found ourselves racing through the pages to see what would happen. Barnabus is adorable and there is a gorgeous message about embracing our imperfections and working together to reach our dreams. A truly original and fantastic tale.

An absolutely gorgeous children's book with a real heart warming story. It looks at the importance of not trying to be perfect and everyone is perfect in their own way. The amazing menagerie of characters in this story are so exciting and inventive. Perfect gift for any child in your life.

We loved this story and me and Little Lady decided we would definitely like Barnabus as our pet. She said he was very cute!

The book is perfect for bedtime with a sweet, underlying message about not being perfect being absolutely fine. It also talked about the importance of friendship and working together to help one another out.

I loved the illustrations and the story was well written, a perfect length for a little one's story time. We loved the other character's crazy names too!

I love the unique art style and quirky tales of the Fan Brothers. Barnabus is a loveable hero and it's always good to see books encouraging kids to embrace the differences we all have.

What a beautiful picture book! The illustrations were stunning and imaginative. I loved the cast of creative imperfect pets.

The story itself was filled with emotion and I loved little Barnabus himself. I felt his plight and enjoyed reading of his journey to finding the outside world. This is a tale that kids will love and cherish.

I adored this quirky, imaginative picture book by the ever talented Fan Brothers! It's like a lovable Monster Inc makeover, perfect for fans of Shaun Tan.

In a world where pets are made to be perfect, Barnabus - half mouse, half elephant - spends his days encased in a tiny bell jar, deep underground in a secret lab called 'Failed Project'. Shelved with a menagerie of other wonderfully unique creatures, Barnabus dreams of a world above the lab, a world of city skyscrapers, sparkling lakes and starry skies. When faced with a destiny of being recycled, Barnabus decides to take action, and with his friends, make a daring escape for freedom.

A heartwarming celebration of friendship, resilience, and embracing our imperfections, The Barnabus Project is an absolute triumph! Little readers will be won over by a narrative that's packed with positivity, and will delight over the beautifully vivid, detailed illustrations. 5 shining stars from me!

"Half mouse and half elephant", that's a good description of Barnabus' looks
He's the main character of the last one of the Fan brothers' children's books
Eric and Terry worked together again, but this time with brother Devin at their side
With an interesting story and beautiful pictures they take you along on a magical ride


Imagine a store where children can buy 'Perfect Pets'

Those genetically engineered 'perfect' creatures are made in a secret lab under the store.
One of the rooms contains the Failed Projects. Creatures who aren't perfect enough to make it to the store are kept there in tiny bell jars.
Barnabus, half mouse and half elephant, is one of them. Dreaming of seeing the outside world, he's planning an escape with the help of the other Failed Projects.
Will they succeed in their attempt?
Find out in this wonderfully illustrated book for young and old!


Dreamlike pictures create a feeling of wonder

When you look at all the different little pet creatures, you can clearly see that the talented Fan brothers dispose about a lot of creativity and imagination.
Only the humans - who play a rather small part in this story - are depicted rather dull in comparison to them.
Those who're attentive to the pictures, will see that there's also a reference to The Night Gardener. Not only is this a nice touch for the readers of the Fan brothers' first book, but it shows the brothers' eye for detail as well.
To have an idea of the drawing style in this book, you can take a sneak peek here: http://www.thefanbrothers.com/#/the-barnabus-project/ !


Interesting themes make a good story

There are several themes discussed: perfectness, being happy with how you are, working together, …
It's definitely an interesting book to talk about with children and to make them think about those things.
The end, however not bad, is a bit less dreamlike than the rest of the book and may therefore feel a bit out of tone to some people. But on the other hand, it goes well with the real life issues that are being raised.


The Fan Brothers

Eric Fan and his brother Terry Fan debuted with the widely acclaimed picture book The Night Gardener.
Actually they're working very complementary. If you want to know how they do that, just look at this Youtube-movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UeMab4U9p4 . It'll only take 2 minutes of your time.
In this Thank you-video (2 minutes), where they accept the Minnesota Youth Reading Award 2018, you can hear how they came up with the idea of The Night Gardener: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnerhG2XkUY . The statement that struck me the most and that's also applicable to The Barnabus Project is: "When Terry and I were both kids, we collected comic books and we loved superheroes. But as we got older we realized that the real superheroes in life are just ordinary people doing amazing things and things to make the world a better place. Things both big and small."

Although there are not so many online interviews with those two Fan Brothers (note that for The Barnabus Project they were joined by their brother Devin), the following ones contain interesting background information about their Asian family roots, the different places were they lived (Illinois, Hawaii, now based in Toronto), their sources of inspiration, … :
- Mile High Reading: https://readingwithmrteut.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/interview-with-the-fan-brothers-terry-fan-and-eric-fan/
- Marmalade Books: https://readmarmalade.com/blogs/news/my-interview-with-children-s-author-and-illustrator-team-terry-and-eric-fan-the-fan-brothers
- BookPage: https://bookpage.com/interviews/22614-fan-brothers-childrens
- Publishers Weekl: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/76649-in-conversation-the-fan-brothers.html

To see which other beautiful books they created, you can always go to the website of the Fan Brothers: http://www.thefanbrothers.com/


*Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely adorable book! I loved the art style, the heartwarming story. Everything about this book was absolutely lovely.

Books by The Fan Brothers are always beautifully illustrated with a lovely story and The Barnabus Project is no exception. I adore the illustrations which are just entrancing and the meaning of the story about being yourself is put across in the perfect way.

Barnabus is such an adorable character, and I love that although he's a "failed project" he's happy with being himself and wouldn't want to change. I also think that the message about not judging others comes across really well in this story.

I'd highly recommend The Barnabus Project for fans of stunning artwork and for people looking for a picture book with a really heartfelt message that's very important.

As an English Consultant for primary schools, I'm always on the look out for new books that I can recommend to teachers and use for courses to support the English Curriculum. I think this book works well on many levels. I can see opportunities to develop reading for meaning and a variety of writing outcomes stemming from it. I think it also works on a number of levels and could be a useful starting/developing resource for exploring differences/inclusivity and friendship among a range of other things.