Slog's Dad by David Almond and Dave McKean

"Slogger, man," I said. "Your dad's dead."

"I know that, Davie. But it's him. He's come back again, like he said he would."

I didn't think it was worth beating around the bush with this one. It deals with death. And for such a pint sized book, it sure packs a punch. What do I mean by that? Let me explain by describing myself a little. I'm not really one to cry in books or movies. Sure, I get choked up all the time, but cry, not so much. Even in books where people say 'if you're not crying by the end there must be something wrong with you', I usually end up getting emotional, or that lump in your throat kind of thing. Even in my favourite books, where everyone else says they cry when certain characters die, I'm yet to shed a tear, no matter how many times I re-read them.

The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean

Neil Gaiman’s books are practically guaranteed to be slightly warped, slightly bizarre, slightly absurd. That’s why we love them isn’t it?

This picture book is fairly straight forward in premise, in some ways of looking at it, and is pretty much explained by the title: a boy swaps his dad for two goldfish. Cause that could happen, right?

Then, as predicted by his sister, he gets in trouble when his mother comes home (there’s a very funny sequence with the sister trying to tell the mum who doesn’t like her to talk with her mouth full) and they have to go and swap him back. Only, they discover that he has already been traded on. And so begins a journey here there and everywhere trying to un-swap all the items that have been traded for his dad.

So a little bit quirky, but that’s what makes it fun. Dave McKean’s illustrations take the quirk factor to another level, playing in to and off of each other sense of humour in a perfect way.

I've got a great edition of this that has the book read by Neil Gaimen himself, which is an added bonus.

3.5 Gold Stars

Find it on Goodreads