By Maureen Tai, 13 October 2021

The Barnabus Project (ages 4+) is larger and longer than your typical picture book, and all the better to enjoy the luminous, detailed and wondrous illustrations that bear the hallmarks of the Fan Brothers’ gorgeous and singular creative style. We meet the titular Barnabus, half-mouse, half-elephant, in his home under a glass bell jar. As with his other friends – an assortment of peculiar-looking, yet oddly endearing creatures – Barnabus has lived nowhere else. Instead, he relies on his cockroach friend, Pip, to tell him what the outside world looks like. Listening to Pip’s account, he too yearns to sit on grass and look up at the stars. When Barnabus’s dream becomes too big for his jar, so does his frustration and his resolve. Our hero begins to plot a daring escape where not one creature is left behind … The Barnabus Project is the first collaboration involving all three Fan Brothers: Terry, Eric and Devin. A sumptuous treat for inquisitive eyes, this tale of friendship and having the courage to rewrite your destiny will continue to warm your heart long after you’ve turned the final page.