Toy Mountain is a really special message picture book from EK Books. Written by Stef Gemmill and Katharine Hall, this book celebrates the little things in life. The special connection between generations and the appreciation of the things - in this case toys - not because they are new and shiny, but because they are part of who we are.
Sam is our main character in this adventure, and he is sick of the toys he has to play with that belonged to his parents, and even his grandparents! These old toys have a few bumps and bruises but are shared between Sam and his younger brother.
When an application comes through to be a toy tester for the Tiny Hands Toy Factory it is an offer that Sam just cannot let pass by. So truck after truck brings new toys for Sam to trial and test. All of them are shiny. All of them seem great. All of them become overwhelming as so many toys keep turning up! But these toys are for Sam, and he doesn’t want anyone else to play with them. Not his parents, not his grandparents, and certainly not his little brother!
One day there ends up being a mountain of toys left by Sam after deliveries by the Toy Factory. There, right at the bottom, are the original toys that Sam used to play with with his family. The only ones that seem right to him. The proper toys that bring him so much true joy because he shares them with others.
It’s really a celebration of those special moments and those special things that bring us closer together as people. A really beautifully told story with the moral of realisation of what is important and connection.
Reviewer: Chris Reed
EK Books