I talked about Veronica by Roger Duvoisin this week and described it as a "grass is greener" story and also a book with a "there's no place like home" ending.
Here we have another, very recent, example of these ideas. Papa Hare (single parent) has four little children - Dot, twins Pip, Pat and Baby Cottontail (shades of Beatrix Potter). Their burrow is small and too crowded so Papa Hare decides they all need to move to a bigger burrow - one with plenty of space as shown in the house plan he shares with the children. It will have four bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and toilet.
Everyone happily (note the title) packs up and they begin to excavate into the burrow wall so they can set off (hoppily) to find a new home.
There are lots of others who live in this underground world - moles, mice, foxes, a huge snake and a family of badger bank robbers. But at the end of the tunnel they find a new house and it is perfect. Oddly though, with everyone spread out into separate rooms it all feels a little lonely. And then there is the issue of who really owns this space.
The real owner returns and the family flee - back through the tunnels only to arrive back at their original home.
"So Papa Hare came up with a new plan ... to stay right where they were."
Now to take a closer look at the book. On the cover you can see inside the burrow - each letter of the title acts like a window. Papa Hare is on the letter "E" with his rock hammer; Dot, in her ballet dress, is manoeuvring her bag through the tunnel; and frog is having a shower. So many laughs if you take the time to look closely. Your young reading companion will also want to touch the tactile cover.
The scene from the second last page is used on the half title page and the title page gives readers a view of the above ground scene. Oddly the publisher/book designer (Hannah Janzen) did not make use of the end papers.
I do like the visual jokes which extend this text such as the badger bank robbers and the mole in the top hat (shades of Wind in the Willows). There is the cross section perspective so we can peep into the different compartments of this busy burrow. I like the brown palette which mirrors the burrow. The different characters (major and minor) all have distinct personalities This is an engaging and relatable story about family life. Very young children are sure to find this story enjoyable and reassuring.
A tale about loving your family and your home ... Reading Time
Here is the web site for Tull Suwannakit.
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