The Great Illusion. (The Adventures of Cosmo, The Dodo Bird). Patrice Racine. Toronto, ON: Tundra Books, 2011. 40 pp., pbk., $9.99. ISBN 978-1-77049-248-6. Grades 2-5 / Ages 7-10. Review by Shelbey Krahn. **½ /4

excerpt:

Suddenly, Cosmo and 3R-V are dodging pop cans, an old car, and even used furniture. They have to zigzag around a chest of drawers!

"Where is this stuff coming from?" cries Cosmo.

"Look over there! It's coming from that spot on the planet," says 3R-V.

Curious, the two friends descend to the planet.

The Great Illusion is a picture book from the series "The Adventures of Cosmo, the Dodo Bird." Cosmo, a dodo bird and the last of his kind on Earth, is accompanied by his friend and spaceship, 3R-V, while searching the galaxy for other dodo birds.

     After dodging garbage in space, Cosmo and 3R-V find that Zigor the magician is pretending to make garbage disappear. They tell him they know he's just shooting it out into space and that "all the things you launched into space will end up falling back down one day." That day comes immediately, and 3R-V is damaged by falling garbage. The magician repairs 3R-V with magic and vows, "From now on, instead of making old junk disappear, I will give it new life."

      The illustrations are made with computer graphics, brightly coloured and very vibrant. Zigor is particularly vivid, full of dastardly showmanship.

      The message about the value of recycling is valid, but feels empty of real substance. A young reader will walk away from the snazzy picture book and not give recycling another thought. Flinging garbage through the air is definitely more exciting than recycling it. The book would benefit from a thoughts-to-ponder page to help young readers, parents, and teachers take the book's message to a higher level.

Recommended with reservations.

Shelbey Krahn is a librarian and avid recycler in Sudbury, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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