The Really Beautiful Thing

Squirrel is prepared to sell everything he has for The Really Beautiful Thing, but at what cost? A cautionary tale with a heartwarming ending about the force of greed and the power of friendship and family. Squirrel isn't sure what The Really Beautiful Thing is - or even what it does - all he knows is that he wants it. When he can't afford the price, he sells his comfy sofa, his fridge full of food, and even the house he shared with his friends . . . The Really Beautiful Thing costs Squirrel everything, and when it turns out to be A Really Useless Thing, will his friends be there to help him pick up the pieces?The perfect story to share with little ones about consumerism, greed and obsession, that teaches us we can't always have everything we want . . . and that our loved ones will always be there to help us when we lose our way.

About the author

Frances Tosdevin studied Archaeology, Anthropology and Classics at Cambridge, so she has a certain fondness for old things, and when she was little, she longed to own a real dinosaur. She has been shortlisted five times in picture book competitions, and in 2022, she was thrilled to win the Crystal Kite Award for her debut picture book. Frances lives in Bedfordshire, and enjoys nature, theatre and gardening, as well as spending time with her growing family of grandchildren.Ali Pye studied fashion at Central St Martins, then worked in advertising. But it was her dream to be an illustrator, so she enrolled on the MA in illustration at Kingston University - which was one of the best things she'd ever done. Since graduating in 2010 she's illustrated stories for Campbell Books, Egmont, HarperCollins, Nosy Crow, Orchard Books, Orion, Oxford University Press, Penguin Random House, Stripes, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster and Andersen Press. Her books have been published in many different languages, and borrowed from UK libraries more than 600,000 times! Ali lives and works in London.

Product details

• Authors: Frances Tosdevin
• Assisted by: Pye Ali (Illustration)
• Publisher: Andersen Press
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 3 to 5
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2026
• EAN: 9781839135651
• ISBN: 978-1-83913-565-1
• Dimensions: 252 mm x 250 mm x 3 mm
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > Mankind; JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship, JUVENILE FICTION / Concepts / Money, Romance & relationships stories (Children's / Teenage), Picture storybooks, Interest age: from c 3 years, Social issues (Children's / Teenage), Money (Children's / Teenage), Children’s / Teenage general interest: Money, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Poverty & Homelessness, Children’s / Teenage: Social topics: Poverty / precarity