Jan Fearnley's latest picture book for Nosy Crow is a hoot. Edgar and his sister Edith live at the end of an alley. Edgar loves Edith very much and one day sets off to buy her favourite treat. Sausages!Sadly, coming out of the butcher's, Edith is waylaid by a food inspector, a rat, who pronounces the sausages tainted and makes off with them, presumably for further inspection in a lab. The same unhappy meeting keeps repeating itself on further shopping sprees and it soon becomes apparent that the inspector is not all he claims to be. This pushes the otherwise peace loving Edgar over the edge, with fatal consequences for...but no spoilers here.
Fearnley's story is a delicious tale of sweet revenge. Told in a fast, edgy style with gorgeous retro illustrations that remind me of the ever-popular Madeline books. It's one that I'm sure will prove popular with many readers. The ending would also be great to engender discussions about the nature of revenge and 'getting your own back.' A treat in more ways that one. Let's hope there are more adventures of Edgar and Edith on the way. They are an adorable pair.
Saviour Pirotta's latest picture book, The Unicorn Prince, is illustrated by Jane Ray and out now. Follow Saviour on twitter @spirotta.
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1 comment:
I'm very intrigued by your description - 'fast, edgy style'- will definitely add this to my TBR pile!
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