To read children’s books, you’d never know that animals were not accustomed to the comforts of human homes, would you? In this charming new picture book, it’s clear that nothing short of a full-on house will do. Back to nature, my patootie!
A House in the Woods
Inga Moore
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 978 0 7636 5277 7
When two small pigs come home to find their den and hut ruined by visiting friends who were really much too large (a bear and a moose!), the four friends find themselves with a dilemma, being that they had not one home between them. But! Moose proposes that they could build a big house and live in it together! Not being DIY types, though, they needed to call in some experts. Enter the beavers…
This crew showed up fast, and requested payment in sandwiches. They worked at a mindblowing speed. The new homeowners pitched in, too, and builders and residents went together to the junkyard to find furnishings. It’s like a home reno show, woodlands edition! It was a tiring project, but in the end, everyone was happy, and the four furry roomates settled into their new home in time for bed. Seriously, home renos have never been this easy – next time we start something, I’m calling in some wildlife.
This is a straightforward, cute little story, but the tone has a note of understatement that amuses me, and the illustrations are marvelous. Beautifully detailed but soft wooded backgrounds mix with cartoonish animals with comical facial expressions for an overall that is quietly humourous, adding a layer that makes this story, perfectly pitched for young kids as it is, still fun for older kids and parents to share, too.
