I'm a huge fan of anything by Elise Gravel and I'm excited to incorporate The Wrench into my library. The illustrations are eye catching and engaging and the storyline is cute and silly. It will work perfectly for a lesson on wants vs. needs. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Bob's bike broke and he can't find his wrench to fix it so he goes to the mega store. Every time he goes in that store he comes out with something he doesn't need and is eventually out of money.

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I loved this book as a mentor text in my classroom. It will be used for our unit on wants and needs and cause and effects. It could be used for other reading and writing units as well.

Certainly not the first book about searching for a lost item. Gravel's approach is unique. When Bob can't immediately find his wrench, he goes to buy a new one rather than clean up his mess. Repeatedly, since at the store he is talked into buying a series of increasingly silly items rather than a wrench. He finds his own wrench entirely by accident. It's cute and silly and will probably elicit giggles from a preschooler.

Bob runs over a rock and damages one f the wheels of his tricycle. He needs hi wrench to fix it but it's no where to be found. He heads to Megamart to buy a new one. Bob makes numerous trips there but never buys a wrench, just buys hints he doesn't need. It seems to be a play on consumerism in society. It's a great introduction for children to realize the difference between a need and a want. Perhaps you could also discuss money management. Overall the story is fine. I enjoyed the illustrations more.

Elise Gravel’s trademark wit shines through this latest. Her art style is unique and s utilized well for the story.

Elise Gravel's books are always funny and very cute, and this one is no exception! I gotten a lot of questions from caregivers looking for books about helping kids understand needs vs. wants. There aren't a ton, and very fewer are actually good quality or even readable. Every year we're scrounging for something decent to read during Money Smart Week! I'm so glad this book will be added to that list. I think there is a TON to talk about when reading this book to/with a child; including needs & wants, but also about how things are marketed and sold to us as consumers. All packaged in a very readable silly story that includes a screaming machine!

It was a cute little book about a broken bike, a missing wrench to fix it and a Megamart full of things you dont need. It gives a good message about wasting your money in buying things you don't need.

A very cute and gentle look at mindless consumerism that makes its points with gentle humor. Will be purchasing for my library branch.

The Wrench is a funny book about distractions! Give this to students who enjoyed other books by Elise Gravel and Flying Beaver Brothers.

Everyone should be reading Elise Gravel stories to their children. They are brilliantly non-traditional, completely silly and so much fun to read.

In The Wrench, Bob breaks his tricycle and needs a wrench to fix it. When he can’t find it he heads to Megamart to get a new one and of course is sold on a million other things he doesn’t need except the wrench.

Elise Gravel’s illustrations are wildly unusual and incredibly appealing. You and your reader will laugh and laugh as you make your way through this silly story. The best part about The Wrench is although it’s quite a silly story there is a definite message about consumerism within the pages and teachers could bring this book into the classroom when discussing media literacy, putting an outrageous spin on the topic to really get the point of overconsumption across to young people.

For those who are dual language learners, great news as this book was originally published in french under the title La clé à molette and was awarded the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Award for Children’s Literature - Illustration, french titles

This was a humorous story with whimsical illustrations! Had my two children laughing out loud as we read it. A quick read that packs a punch!

This is a highly amusing cautionary tale about the dangers of impulse buying and being influenced by slick salespeople. I think, at some point, most every person falls prey to an impulse buy or a cleverly delivered sales pitch, and tries to buy one thing only to come away with another. This is a picture book that takes us through just that. I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and well paced. The illustrations were light and childlike, very appropriate to the text. It's a fun little book. Also, the strange impulse purchase items are very clever and creative. Well done.

This was an adorable little book. It used lively bright colored illustrations and quirky lettering which made for a super fun and unique read. It also teaches a few important lessons.

This book teaches the young readers all about consumerism and the importance of not being excessive. Nobody needs a fridge-hat! Poor Bob spent all his money on things that he really didn't need and before he knew it he had no money and no wrench.

My son and I were especially fond of the use of the name "lucien" in this book ;). It's not everyday that a kid gets to come across their own name used for a character! He wanted this book to take all the stars for that alone! Luckily though this book was cute enough to earn them without the name slip!!


I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wrench is a predictable picture book that your child will enjoy. The illustrations are entertaining and the child-like characters are relatable. This book makes for a teachable moment.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was sort of a silly book. The pictures were kind of strange but colorful. The text flowed well. It's about a bunny that is distracted by a salesperson at the store and impulse buys crazy things instead of what he went for. It's amusing. I think adults will relate to the story more than the kids. But the kids will enjoy the silly gadgets and funny animals.

His book was just ok for me. Kids may get a kick out of it though. Illustrations are cute. I do like the author and I will continue to read her work. This would be a choice if I have extra library money to spend.

Thw Wrench by Elise Gravel tells the story of Bob, a uniquely drawn creative animal. At the beginning of our story, Bob has an accident while riding on his tricycle and breaks one of the wheels. Bob thinks he can repair his bicycle with his wrench, but he is unable to find it in any of the places that he looks. Bob scratches his head and decides he needs to purchase a new wrench and heads off to Mega-Mart where he can buy anything and everything. Bob encounters Mr. Mart and asks for assistance in locating the wrenches. Instead of helping Bob find the item he needs, Mr. Mart pitches a series of useless and unnecessary items that Bob can purchase that are more exciting than a boring old wrench. Unfortunately, Bob falls for this sales tactic not once, not twice, but three separate times. He proudly takes his purchases home to show off to his friends, but his friends tell Bob that he has made a mistake by purchasing ridiculous items that no one needs and reminds him that he intended to purchase a wrench to repair his tricycle. So Bob places his items in a closet until he runs out of money and can no longer afford to buy a wrench. He decides to open the closet to search for some money when an assortment of items comes tumbling out on Bob's head. In the midst of all of these cast off items, Bob discovers his wrench. I don't have any issues with the story up until this point because it deals with consumerism, predatory sales tactics, basic economic principles, and even the effects of chronic disorganization. My concern with this book is that at no point does Bob learn a lesson. He doesn't learn how to only shop for what he needs, how he needs to watch out for salesmen who try to convince him to buy ridiculous items, or even how to organize his belongings so that he won't have to go out and repurchase items that he already has in his home. The story simply ends. As a teacher, I typically share stories where my characters learn a lesson, but we don't know if Bob learned his lesson or not. The story could open up a dialogue about how Bib could learn his lesson, but ultimately it does not share that lesson with the intended audience, Had Bob clearly learned his lesson (returned the items to get his money back or organized his closet even), then I would probably be able to rate a 4.5, but without a concrete resolution, I can only rate a 3.5 which I am rounding up to a 4 just because it does start a conversation about what what lesson Bob should be learning.

Thank you NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for this free English-language ARC in return for my honest opinion. This book won a Canadian book award back in 2012 for its French edition and this must be its English-language debut. Not as good as it could be. Illustrations are over-the-top and not funny. Story is that this boy (by the way is it a badger or what type of animal?) breaks his bike and cannot find a wrench. He goes to a Megamart (Walmart?) and is talked into buying a bunch of stuff he does not need until he has no money left for a wrench. I understand the point of trying to teach kids to be responsible consumers but nobody ever informs the boy to return things to get his money back. In the end the bike gets fixed with a wrench he found at home. That's it. For me there are too many better books out there than this, and I wonder how the English-language market will like this book. Not for me. Had a lot of potential and to me the author flubbed the dub.

This book was okay. I have two sons in the target age and I think they'd listen to the entire story, but I can't imagine them requesting it to be read after the first time. The illustrations are nice, but the story doesn't have any characteristics that make it a book that I'd want to purchase or even check out from the library more than once. Why didn't all the useless junk get returned to the store? I think I would have liked this story much more if it taught some kind of lesson.