Mr. Barsins’ Toy Emporium by Lois Wickstrom by – Review by Candice Estes

Mr. Barsins’ Toy Emporium by Lois Wickstrom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is an exploration of a child’s imagination, and what it’s like to lose it. This book follows Nick, Audrey, Lily and Jake as they are drawn to what appears on the outside to be just a plain toy store, but is really much more. The most important thing to remember in Mr. Barsin’s toy emporium is that nothing is as it seems. Mr. Barsin’s toy store has a hidden greenhouse only accessible through a door in a wall that isn’t real, that allows elementals of all kinds to live and be adopted by a child. Mr. Barsin has a rule, though: Only one elemental per child. He also doesn’t tell them all of the rules, such as statements like, “I’d give anything, if…” are taken literally and as a binding agreement. The children, as the only ones who can see the imaginary elementals (such as dragons, sylphs, mermaids, gnomes and others), select a new imaginary friend, and are allowed to take them home. Many of the children’s adult family members are able to see their imaginary friends after Mr. Barsin sprinkles sylph dust on them, allowing them to be a part of the fun and imagination, while others chose not to as they see it as silly and overindulgent of the child in question. Overall this was an interesting and unexpected book, that would be great for upper elementary age children.

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