Sylvia Vanden Heede

I picked up this little hardcover children's book totally at random and it charmed my socks off. It's the kind of hang-out stories I associate with Frog and Toad, or Frances the Badger, but the latter is particularly appropriate because both the love of wordplay (kudos to the translator for dealing pretty well with the puns and songs) and the feeling that potentially risky things are also fun to think about (the otherwise straight-laced little Dog uses booze to help him bark, and Wolf might decide to actually be dangerous at any moment) strongly recall the late great Russell Hoban. The narration and dialogue are extremely fun to read out loud, and Tolman's drawings are just a joy.… (mer)