The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Ted Dewan (author/illustrator)

Corgi Books, London: 1997; 32pp

ISBN: 0552545287

Genres: picture book, science fiction

Shortlisted for the Kurt Maschler Award, 1997. This is a delightful, sparkling, picture book version of the classic tale of the lazy apprentice who tries to get out of doing his own work by messing with things he doesn't understand in his master's workshop, thus multiplying both the mess and the mischief.

 Here, however, instead of a magician, there is an inventor; instead of the traditional apprentice, there is the robot he creates to clean up the infestation of nuts, bolts and mysterious mechanical bits and pieces that crowd his workplace. Vibrant illustrations, many of them double-page, supplement the text. The pictures contain great humour and imagination that will appeal to the both the young listener and the adult reader. Definitely a book to share.