Dougal the Garbage Dump Bear
By Matt Dray
I want someone to knock the stuffing out of me. No, really. Then I can go live with Dougal and 45 of his best buddies in a beach bungalow in Australia.
Some bears have all the luck. But for Dougal, not all of it’s good. He’s one grungy, mildewy, not-so-plush toy, even before he’s tossed into the rubbish. Fortunately for us, a worker rescued him at the landfill and documented it in this quirky, if inconsistent, fable about redemption and the kindness of strangers.
Dougal learns his way around, makes a friend and then rescues other discarded toys. What I don’t get is how he couldn’t get himself out of the rain – the incident that lands him in the dust bin – but later moves freely about the dump.
Vegemite sandwiches and iced coffee with the guys – funny. But a scene where he gets drunk – not funny. You try to explain hangovers to a three-year-old. Grr.
The photos are done with a deliberate and appealing amateurishness and set into collages with garbage scraps and the occasional bug. Think Aesop’s scrapbook.
The moral? “Sometimes bad things happen so good things can happen. You just had to make the best of it.”
Tell me about it.
Rating: *\*\*\
Hi, Anne! I agree with you about the hangover episode in Dray's book. Ill-advised, wasn't it? My son thinks Dougal is kooky fun overall, tho.
Posted by: Susan | November 26, 2005 at 10:13 AM