Og the Dog and the Uninventor - Hardcover

One day Jack is racing on his bike, with his dog, Og, trying to keep up with him, and there in front of them is...the Uninventor! And suddently strange things begin to happen.
The Uninventor uninvents the wheel. Crash! Jack is lying in a heap because there aren't any wheels on his bike anymore.
That's strange, isn't it? Then the Uninventor does it again! She uninvents rain. And nobody can remember what umbrellas are for. She uninvents bolts, so ladders fall apart. She uninvents writing, so books don't make sense.
But it's not only Jack that's puzzled. Everyone is worried because the world seemed to be missing so many things. Will Jack and Og be able to save the day?

Despite this British team's potentially intriguing premise, the plot grows tedious and the logic goes awry well before tale's end. Jack rides his bike with his beloved dog, Og, racing alongside and rather awkwardly announces, "I love the colors of everything on a day like this!" He then encounters The Uninventor, a gaudily garbed woman who fastens her green hair in numerous short ponytails. She proceeds to "uninvent the wheel," causing Jack to crash his bike and townsfolk to stare in dismay at their suddenly inoperable cars, strollers and skateboards. The woman then uninvents a random roundup of things, including rain, ink, money, music, hair and toothpaste. As things disappear, people also lose their memory of them (when wind is uninvented, "The air felt very stuffy, but nobody knew why"). But when she uninvents Og, the boy is conscious of his loss, and the woman "felt Jack's feelings" of anger. In an incredible twist, she takes responsibility for rendering the world "dull, sad, silent, and empty" and uninvents herself ("All the things she uninvented were un-uninvented"). Gower's cartoon artwork exaggerates the inanity of this surreal exercise. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.