Delightful and visually inventive, Emmie Builds Something New by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall (illustrator, The Boy in the Big Blue Glasses) is set in a dusty attic brimming with "things no-one wanted." Though Emmie the mouse is small, she is an inventor, engineer, and dreamer, transforming cast-offs into fantastical contraptions. In one intricate spread, she's cobbled together a machine from an old dollhouse, toy parts, and tiny tools that turns one sunflower into a consistent source of "breakfast, lunch & dinner." Crosby-Fairall fills the scene with delightful detail, including what appear to be handwritten notes and arrows labeling parts of the invention. These annotated diagrams add an extra layer of realism, inviting close inspection. The attic itself is packed with visual treasures, and Emmie's many "clever creations" are as much a joy to study as they are to imagine in motion.
Emmie's imaginative world is upended when a "huge problem" appears, its presence announced by a looming feline shadow. With her trademark ingenuity, Emmie leaps into action. "She built something new," the text repeats, a refrain that pulses with momentum. Each solution grows more elaborate: a lion-shaped machine, a bat-winged gadget, and, finally, an elephant outfitted with a discarded watering can that sprays water.
But when the water-spewing elephant robot succeeds, Emmie notices something unexpected: the cat isn't menacing; it's frightened. Emmie responds with compassion, offering an apology--a final invention that is not a weapon but a welcome. This offbeat resolution turns predator-prey logic on its head, embracing the possibility that understanding can replace fear. It's a moment of heart as well as humor, underscoring a message about empathy, flexibility, and creative problem-solving.
Crosby-Fairall's text is driven by action verbs (Emmie sketches, scavenges, paces, and ponders) and uses a satisfying structure to build tension before gently dissolving it. The cool-toned palette--full of teals, coppers, and dusty greens--adds to the atmosphere, giving the attic world a muted glow that feels both forgotten and full of potential. The perspective shifts and textured lines bring Emmie's world to life with energy and wit. The illustrations brim with mechanical marvels and visual riddles, and the story hints at broader ideas: that even long-held assumptions, like cats and mice being enemies, can be reimagined through curiosity, creativity, and a little kindness. --Julie Danielson
Shelf Talker: Inventive, detailed, and unexpectedly tender, Emmie Builds Something New celebrates the power of imagination and the surprising places it can lead.