by Joseph Coelho
illustrated by Allison Colpoys
 
“The Argument stretched out between us, scaly and hairy, spiky and mean”. 
 
A playground busy with play. But what’s this? Usually best friends, two children face each other down angrily. In between them, squats something “huge and bloated”; it’s “The Argument”.  The protagonist sticks out her tongue, her best friend shouts a bad word and The Argument simply grows  …and grows. Soon, The Argument is not only spoiling their fun but all of the children’s fun. The bad moods are immense; “Abus spins  nightmares. Maz gusts lava”.  
 
The Argument reaches its peak with…a push! A whirl of confused feelings, sadness and tears pour out, from which, finally, something very beautiful  -“one little word”- emerges, shrinking The Argument back to size and then, at last, to nowhere at all. 
 
A very relatable story for young children about falling out, making up and the Big Emotions provoked. The facial expressions are spot on; we even see how the four children in the background are moved and impacted on by the emotions played out between the two main characters. The ever-expanding purple blob brings humour and charm while working as a perfectly neat metaphor.
 
Coelho’s always-lyrical text is rich with playful words, while the formatting joins in, growing and shrinking the font at key moments.  Colpoys’ bright minimal palette, struck through with fluorescent oranges brings bursts of colour, attuned to a story of heightened emotions.    
 
‘Very nicely done! Beautifully written, this explores how an argument can escalate and the feelings it can cause, but also the impact of "sorry". It’s not preachy but it is powerful.’ (Kerry, Letterbox Library staff). [Protagonists are both characters of colour. Four playground children all have different skin tones. Abus wears a hijab. Maz uses a crutch]. Age 4-7, Paperback 30pp
 
Themes: Disabilities