Reading: THE BARNABUS PROJECT - The Fan Brothers (Terry Fan, Eric Fan, and Devin Fan)

Prose (Story): Perfect Pets is the ultimate pet store, where adults and kids alike can buy their (literally) perfect pet, thanks to genetic engineering. What no one knows, however, is that far beneath the store, buried deep underground, is the lab where these pets are created ... and where the Failed Projects, like the half mouse-half elephant Barnabus, are stored in glass cases, awaiting their fate at the hands of the Green Rubber Suits. But when Barnabus's friend Pip, a cockroach who has seen the world above, tells Barnabus of a land where the hills are green and the buildings are filled with stars that reach to the sky, the young mouse/elephant hybrid decides its time for him and his fellow "Failed Projects" friends to find their own place in the real world above.

Don's (Review): Terry and Eric Fan first blew me away with their brilliant, beautiful picture book Ocean Meets Sky; here, aided by a third brother - Devin - the Brothers Fan have ramped things up another notch, not only producing one of the most gorgeously-rendered picture books any child could ever own, but also imbuing real heart and soul into a story that will resonate with any child who has ever felt less because he or she was "different". Not only do Barnabus, Pip and their friends come to life on the page, their "breakout" and means of escape from the lab flows organically from the story; you truly, really see, with each step, how they systematically plan/make their way, and will be rooting for this group of heroes the entire time. A simple tale with incredible depth at its core, The Barnabus Project is a love story for anyone who's ever felt like they didn't belong - and if you had any heart at all for The Island of Misfit Toys from the Rankin-Bass "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Christmas special of your childhood, you are going to love this, as I did.  5/5 stars