The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp

 The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       July 25, 2021

 

Author  Paul Russell. Illustrations Nicky Johnston.

Distributor:      EK Books
ISBN:                 9781925820881
Publisher:         EK/Exisle Publications
Release Date:   July 2021  

Website:    https://exislepublishing.com 

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The Incredibly Busy Mind of Bowen Bartholomew Crisp does a great job of recognising children who see the world differently. Bowen Crisp struggles to answer questions put to the class by his teacher from the earliest years. This is not because he doesn’t have answers to the questions, but because he sees so many possibilities. “What colour is the sea?” asks his teacher. Bowen thinks about the white tips of waves, the deep blue of the ocean, the turquoise waters of the shallow beach, but by then, the class has moved on.

Bowen is inventive and wonders why tortoises haven’t gone into space. He designs and constructs a suit for his pet and only when Granny discovers his rocket attached to the tortoise, does his experiment come to a halt. Bowen’s class visits the Art Gallery, and the teacher sits them down before a particular painting and asks the children to write down what they see. Most of the children respond saying they see a man with a dog. Bowen, however, is amazed by the brush strokes of the painting and studies them so carefully that he is unable to complete his work.

At night, when his mother comes to say goodnight, the two have a fun discussion about hypothetical issues. They ponder, “Is a firefly hot?” and so we see like minds. It is refreshing to look at different learning styles and attitudes and we are reminded not to judge a person too quickly.

Childrens