Trevor is bored. There is nothing he wants to do. Not even go on a trip down the river. In the end Mum tells him to tidy his cupboard and that's when he discovers all those long lost toys. The cupboard is tidy but what about the rest of the house?

My number one best seller and still healthily selling thanks to it's Mini Treasure edition and also the fact that it has been on the SATS list as a test book in schools for the last three years or so. It was the first book I did with my new editor at Bodley Head, Anne McNeil who I still work with today I'm pleased to say. The most memorable thing about doing this book was finishing the cover at 1 am while Tracey was downstairs in the early stages of labour! Rhydian was born at midday, 11 hours later. By now I was consciously moving away from John Burningham's style of artwork, the illustrations becoming tighter and more photographic in places, but still working in acrylics and ink. This book does really well everywhere except the US where it was a complete flop for some reason.Tracey was bored but tidy. I was never bored, but very untidy...

Foreign Editions-Korea, USA, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Finland.

Reviews-(there were a lot of these so I've been selective)

The pictures, with their clear, bright colours, are at once funny and delectable. OBSERVER

An outstanding story that children will want to hear again and again. NURSERY WORLD

The illustrations are colorful but rather flat, and the anthropomorphic turtles are hard to tell apart. The comic aspects of the story will appeal to any child who has started to clean out a drawer, a closet or under a bed and has become fascinated with forgotten things that are found. WITCHITA, KANSAS

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