Book Reviews: Fred and the Fantastic Tub-Tub

'With the many troubles in the world, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all just stop and listen to something beautiful’ said Grandpa in Fred and the Fantastic Tub-Tub – a brilliantly musical children's book by Zeb Soanes. Designed for those aged seven to nine, the plot follows Fred, her cat Sir David Attenborough and her green-fingered grandfather as they investigate an enchanted flower that can sing. With gorgeous illustrations from Anja Uhren, the book oozes a sense of mystery and encourages readers to be curious and adventurous.

James Marangone has accompanied the text with an exciting orchestral concert work performed by Orpheus Sinfonia, a video of which is available for readers to view through a QR code on one of the first pages of the book. After following the link, I could see how magical it would be to read through the text with a child, pausing for musical interjections along the way. Especially when looking at the emphasis on the uniting power of music throughout the book, these additional elements feel indispensable. I was really looking forward to delving into these recordings; however, at the time of my review, there were only two short videos available to readers, so this additional element was not as inspiring as I had hoped. I contacted the publisher to find out more, but they were not able to give me a timeframe on the release dates of these additional recordings and resources.