Available from Amazon and the Hector and Friends Website.
An interesting and informative story told by Hector, a dog born in Vienna in 1939, who witnessed World War II. Hector and Suzy, a young girl, accidentally end up travelling forward in time to 2020 to a number of countries: China, Australia, America, England, India and Poland. Hector meets many different animals and learns through them about their countries' histories, disasters, cultures, celebrations and cuisine. Through his adventures, the reader learns about the 2020 pandemic, climate change, Black Lives Matter and, thereby, invites children to discuss these subjects and to ask questions. The end of the book is especially poignant as Hector questions the point of war when it doesn't change things for the better, animal suffering due to human actions (pollution, climate change and eating animals) and multiculturalism. (Additionally, I feel that the illustrations are somewhat cartoonish and may put off older primary school children even though they would benefit from reading this book.)
Jill Barton, A LoveReading4Kids Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Indie Author Books |
I would recommend the book for older children due to the length of the chapters.
Hector and the Time Machine is an 86-page children’s book written by Renata Kaminska. Hector, the dog, and his owner, Suzy, accidentally end up in a time machine and travel to the year 2020. They witness various key events and interact with the inhabitants of each country. They witness the covid-19 pandemic, the fires in Australia, the Golden Globe Awards in America, England’s journey towards Brexit, Holy Cows and curry in India, the racial violence in America, and they learn about amber in Poland. Hector observes and offers his gentle insights and opinions on all he sees and learns. The book will help adults/carers engage with children on some difficult topics. The illustrations are cheery and colourful and the animals and people have beautiful expressions. Hector is an observer of the human world. His insights can promote meaningful discussions with children and encourage tolerance.... Read Full Review