The Thingity-Jig started off okay. A bear cannot sleep, so they go off to the people town to see what they can find. And they find this thing that is bouncy, you can sit on, and jump on. This Thingity-Jig is too good to leave, but Bear cannot bring it how by themselves. And this is where things went off for me. After trying several different times to wake their friends to go with them in the first place, then runs back and forth to have them help move the thing, I would have thought Bear would have given up. But no, they finally make a contraption to help them roll it. Of course, in a comedy of errors, bear gets into trouble multiple times, but their friends do not help. When they are finally able to get the Thingity-Jig home, the friends are all excited and play on it, while bear waits less than completely patient for their turn with it.
Um, okay. That’s it? I thought it would be a Little Red Hen story about planting, growing, and harvesting the wheat, then making the bread and only Hen eats it, not the friends who did not help, but the bear shares. And in a bit of an obvious turn for the adult reader, the bear does something that is no surprise to anyone as they stayed up all night and lugged-and-tugged a giant Thingity-Jig around.
Kathleen Doherty made a book that is going to get attention, and people will love as it is humorous but not the usual “gross out” humor that seems to happen today. And of course, the illustrations of Kristyna Litten will be focused on. I liked the illustrations better than the text/story. They were cute, and while realistic, had a light-hearted cartoon feeling to them. And while I will not run out in mid-August 2023 to buy a copy, I will be telling people to find a copy as this is a book that needs the right reader/listener, which could be as young as three or four (as you can read the illustrations) up to seven or so.