The Thingamajig - by Rilla Alexander (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A young elephant embarks on a whimsical quest to find various lost objects belonging to their animal neighbors, uncovering a mystery as snail, squirrel, and ladybugs reveal their missing items. Backmatter pages explain the around-the-world origins of each nonsense word appearing in the story."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A young elephant is on the case to find the miscellaneous objects their animal neighbors have lost in this playful and whimsical humdinger of a picture book.

Little elephant's parent can't quite remember the name of the thing they've lost, but they need it back! While on the hunt for the misplaced thingamajig, little elephant discovers other animals are missing things as well. Snail's hoo-pull-dee-pewp for staying safe from the sun has disappeared. So has squirrel's shis-moo for carrying acorns. And all the ladybugs are missing the ha-bee ja-bee they use for a table.

Is there a thief on the loose--or is there a simpler explanation for where all these different doohickeys have gone? Backmatter pages explain the around-the-world origins of each nonsense word appearing in the story.

Review Quotes

"Between the humorous words and the gloriously bold and childlike illustrations created from collaged photographs and hand-cut rubber stamps, this will be a wonderful, infectiously popular read-aloud for young children in group settings or one-on-one."--Kirkus Reviews "02/01/2024"

"The expressive animal characters add humor and bring this who(didn't)dunit to life...together the group finds 'something for everyone' to replace the multipurpose item, a process that will have young listeners turning back to the beginning to spot subtly placed details in the illustrations."--Horn Book

About the Author

Rilla Alexander is an Australian designer, illustrator, and artist whose work has appeared on everything from toys and teacups to buses and buildings. She explores creativity, ideas, and language through simple characters, graphic forms, and bold colors, inspiring both children and adults through books and workshops. Her picture books include The Best Book in the World, Your Rule!, Her Idea, The New Rooster, and The Thingamajig. For more information, visit ByRilla.com.