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*The Pink Refrigerator* by Tim Egan
 
Also by Tim Egan:

Dodsworth in Paris
The Pink Refrigerator
by Tim Egan
Ages 4-8 32 pages Houghton Mifflin April 2007 Hardcover    

The Pink Refrigerator features lazy Dodsworth, who lives the life of an incorrigible couch potato. He is guided by a natural lack of curiosity and zeal to live. He has a thrift shop where he sells junk items. There is nothing to stir him to a more fruitful existence till the day he discovers a pink refrigerator in the junkyard. The refrigerator has a note on it which asks him to paint pictures. On opening the refrigerator, he finds a painting kit, and expectedly puts it on sale in his shop. But when comes the time to sell it, he does not. Instead, he decides to paint - the first constructive activity he takes up in years.

From there he moves just as the refrigerator guides him. The idea appears extraordinary and exciting, for it takes Dodsworth on a road to self-discovery. The refrigerator wakes him up from a deep slumber and shows him the vibrant side of life. It takes his hand and leads him on to a road to exploration, but then leaves him there soon enough. Dodsworth loses faith and starts slipping back into mundanity. Before he loses all that he has gained, he gets back on his feet again. This time he has bigger plans: he sets out on a journey to discover the world and in the process, himself.

The Pink Refrigerator, with its simple language, short sentences and colorful illustrations, is a delight. More importantly, it manages to inspire the reader, asking him to explore his potential, to know the world around him, and to live. A heady mix of humor, satire and magic makes it an ideal read. As the reader pages through the thick glossy sheets of the book, he wants to do all the things he has procrastinated about for too long.

A most unusual self-help book from the children's section. I say read it, read it again.
 


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  Maansi Verma/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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