Traction Man — wearing combat boots, battle pants, and his warfare shirt — comes in a box, but very quickly finds the way into the imagination of his lucky boy owner. This superhero searches for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve as the boy makes a game of doing the dishes, and later in the bathtub, he conquers the Mysterious Toes that are stealing his pet, the brave little Scrubbing Brush. These are just a few of the action-packed adventures played out by the boy and his new toy that may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but can vanquish all manner of villains lurking around the house. Mini Grey's story in words and pictures is an irresistible invitation to the private world of a child's play.

"A cluttered house, lovingly rendered in comic-book panels by Grey (The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be), provides a perilous landscape for the titular square-jawed action figure. Readers infer Traction Man's origins from a 'Dear Santa' letter on the title page ('I expect you know about what happened to my old Traction Man and the Terrible Parachute Accident') and a gift-box on a sleeping boy's bed. The new Traction Man, replete with special outfits, soon meets trouble in a flowerbed and among dirty dishes: 'Traction Man is diving in the foamy waters of the Sink (wearing his Sub-Aqua Suit....) Oh, no! This Poisonous Dishcloth will envelop Traction Man and suffocate him!' Pursued by the glaring, squidlike Dishcloth, Traction Man is pulled to safety by a 'brave little Scrubbing Brush,' portrayed as a doglike sidekick with bristles for feet. Brown-paper thought balloons with italic type indicate the real-time story line; 'I think it's someone's bathtime...' signals the hero's encounter with the Mysterious Toes, which he tickles into submission. Artful watercolor panels alternate with full-page compositions, and the keyed-up narrative is printed on torn graph-paper scraps for a casual, homemade effect. Grey sets the events on a damp English Christmas, but the holiday takes the back seat to the boy's implied stage-managing of Traction Man and transformation of ordinary objects. Will Traction Man rescue the quivering Cupcake from the villainous Doctor Sock? Stay tuned. Ages 4-8." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Setting up the child as the creator of Traction Man's secondary world and dramatizing his narrative play, Grey portrays with precision and wit the sort of inventive thinking that toys can inspire in children." Booklist

Traction Man — wearing combat boots, battle pants, and his warfare shirt — comes in a box, but very quickly finds the way into the imagination of his lucky boy owner, and both quickly vanquish all manner of villains lurking around the house in this imaginative story. Full color.

Traction Man— wearing combat boots, battle pants, and his warfare shirt— comes in a box, but very quickly finds the way into the imagination of his lucky boy owner. This superhero searches for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve as the boy makes a game of doing the dishes, and later in the bathtub, he conquers the Mysterious Toes that are stealing his pet, the brave little Scrubbing Brush. These are just a few of the action-packed adventures played out by the boy and his new toy that may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but can vanquish all manner of villains lurking around the house. Mini Grey’ s story in words and pictures is an irresistible invitation to the private world of a child’ s play.

Praise for The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be:

“ A rib-tickling U.S. debut for Grey, with plenty of sight gags to complement the chatty narrative.” — Kirkus Reviews

“ The Very Smart Pea and the Princess-to-Be delivers an entertaining spin and a great deal of visual wit.” — The Horn Book

Mini lives in Oxford with her partner Tony and cat Bonzetta. She likes running along the river, cycling, walking up hills, running down corridors, and playing badly on her electric piano wearing headphones.