Abbott and Barley: A Perfect Place

This story intrigued me, as it never really made complete sense to me. Abbott and his son Barley are fishing by the sea. Barley, not catching anything, gets bored. His dad asks him to wait a little bit, as his friend Isaiah is coming soon, but we soon learn that Isaiah canceled in order to do a cooler activity with his dad. Abbott, not wanting to let his son down, sets a wonderful day of adventures for his son, from visiting the desert to swimming with a whale.

On the final destination, Abbott and Barley meet Barley's friends, who came there all together... but without Barley. They play together and promise to see each other soon when it's time to go home, but it's never mentioned that they formed two separate groups, or that Barley has not been invited at the first place. In the end, the dad has the best answer of all, telling him that the best place on Earth is with him in his arms.

I had to re-read this story twice, as I was not sure about the plot or overall message. Was it about competing to do the coolest things of all, and at the end realizing that in each other's arms is the best place to be? Or was it about the desire of a dad to cheer up his son who has been excluded from his group of friends? A little bit of both, I guess.

I enjoyed the story, but I wish there could have been more clarification and more exploration of Barley's feelings. Special mention to the illustrations wish are colorful, creative and really hold the book together.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-08