Teodora’s Book Reviews: “The Diaries of Robin’s Toys” by Ken and Angie Lake (Sweet Cherry Publishing, Leicester, 2013)

Undoubtedly newly bought toys are awesome. Once they become part of your life, you create an exciting story with them. But what about old toys? From my point of view, they’re even better because they carry some memories they are ready to share with you! If you don’t believe me, just take a closer look at these shabby toys you randomly come across at car boot sales. You may notice the scruffy fur or maybe even some scratches. The older the toy is, the more interesting its story could be…

While reading The Diaries of Robin’s Toys, I had countless throwbacks from my childhood and remembered my own experience with toys. These ten books of the collection feature a boy called Robin who goes to a car boot sale with his grandfather every Sunday. The boy is a sweet character. He is a great listener and he does anything he can to make other people smile. His weekly jaunts are just the beginning of a remarkable adventure. As soon as Grandad buys a toy and uses his special powers to wake it up, every following moment turns out to be magical. The spell is quite catchy and it gets stuck into your head straightaway: “Little toy, hear this rhyme, / Let it take you back in time, / Tales of sadness or of glory, / Little toy, reveal your story.” It would probably be recommended to shortly introduce Robin’s little buddies.

Bertie is a friendly and hard-working bee with black and yellow stripes, huge eyes and a fat body. His wings are made of loops of wire and he has a big smile on his little face. He talks about his first day at work and his frightening experience while being stuck in the water. Each bee has its own job to do, but they still work together in perfect harmony. Robin and the other players from the local football league realize that there is no I in team, so they should always stick to each other at difficult times.

Carla is an interesting cow in a strange sort of way, but she is not very happy. The other animals think she is grumpy, bad mannered, bad tempered, selfish and rude. She is never pleased and complains about everything, this being the very reason she is a lonely cow. Robin finds out that kind gestures and a positive attitude can totally change your life, so the boy helps a moody lady from the car boot sale, Nelly Knitwear, to become friends with his grandmother.

Carlos is a curious cod, which once had the possibility to see the human world at an aquarium, from “the other side of the glass” (“What a curious and strange lot these people were.”). He also happens to know what it’s like to be friends with someone older and untrustworthy, who wants you to try out things that could get you into trouble. Robin remembers that Angus, his best friend, has recently been spending time with a group of older guys and trying to act cool in front of other people. When the nasty gang makes fun of Robin, Angus feels terribly guilty and finally realizes that he has left his real buddy behind.

Clarence is a one-humped camel from Saudi Arabia. He thinks he is the fastest racer in the entire desert and boasts about his qualities to his friends, making them feel awful. But when he starts some serious training with other camels, Clarence always ends up being the last one to cross the finish line. No matter how much he tries to progress, he just isn’t good enough. The camel helps Robin understand what it’s like to face humiliation and how to start all over again by doing something different and better.

Gavin may look fierce, but he is actually one of the nicest gorillas you could ever meet, as his biggest dream is to take care of smaller, wounded animals. Gavin tells Robin how everybody from the zoo used to be scared of him and avoided him. Snuffles the dog, his only friend, shows everyone that Gavin has a big soul and that he would never hurt anyone. The boy learns that, when you don’t fit in somewhere, an unexpected partnership will surely put you in high spirits. It’s essential to have a good friend by your side, a friend who will always stand up for you when the others are just being selfish. After learning this lesson, Robin helps his new classmate, Mark, fit in by telling everyone what an excellent cricket player he is.

Geraldo is a gourmet giraffe, struggling with the idea of having a long neck. It takes a lot of time for the food to get to his stomach, so he’s constantly hungry. When he tries out all sorts of recipes, he gets awfully sick. The only option left for Geraldo is to lead a healthier life based on regular exercise and nutritious meals. Robin uses the same program for a girl, Caroline, who is used to eating only sweets and junk food. She soon becomes a healthy girl with a happy lifestyle.

Hoo-Tee is a Spanish tatty-looking donkey. Like most donkeys, he is supposed to do all the hard work, despite the weather. His first owner doesn’t even treat him fairly enough. One day Hoo-Tee comes across Don Quijote’s house. The noble man manages to bond with the little donkey, by treating him with kindness and seeing the best in him. Hearing this story, Robin encourages one of his new neighbors, Marcella, to overcome her shyness and form a beautiful friendship with an arts teacher.

Leon, the friendly lion, is almost in the same situation as Gavin. Even though lions are known as the most ferocious animals in the entire world, Leon is mild-mannered and prefers staying indoors and writing short stories or poetry. Feeling alone, he looks for a decent job so as to meet new people and make friends. Unfortunately he has no luck, as no one wants to hire someone as scary as him. The searching goes on and on until Leon starts to work for a radio station, writing catchy jingles and convincing adverts. Robin discovers that such gentle personalities may be needed in many situations, we just have to learn when and how to put them to use.

Roger could easily be considered a more special reindeer than the red-nosed Rudolph. He admits having problems with reading and writing in the past. At school everyone calls him lazy and they think he is unwilling to learn something. One day Roger runs away, thinking he can have a better life somewhere else, but his inability to read directions and instructions bring him only sad and embarrassing moments. In the end he accepts help from a local library and goes to a special course for reading and writing. Robin understands that hard work and determination can bring you a lot of benefits and great opportunities.

Taffy is a Welsh rabbit with a huge love for rugby. His ambition is to go to a match between Wales and England. In order to achieve his dream, Taffy and his friends work together and start to sell carrot cakes. They save up just enough carrots to afford tickets to the rugby match. The rabbit’s story comes in handy for Robin, as he and his scout group are facing their own problem. They don’t have enough money to go on a summer camp, so the Scouts gather their old toys and games and sell them at the car boot sale. The successful sale makes Robin realize how important it is not to lose your hope if you haven’t tried all the possibilities.

Although the diaries are all different, there is one common thing about them: they all feature valuable lessons, which turn Robin into a better boy with a bigger heart. Not only will this collection of adorable stories take you on a trip down memory lane, but it will also make you fall in love again with your old toys, which once were a wonderful source of happiness.