In front of my house by Marianne Dubuc, translated by Yvette Ghione
“On a little hill, behind a brown fence, under a big oak tree, is … my house.” Thus begins a delightful adventure through yards, rooms, imaginations, fairy tales, forests, mountains, space, ships, through rain and a zoo, back beyond the city to ‘my house,” ready to start the adventure all over again.
Author/illustrator Dubuc, with her visual arts and graphic design background, presents just-right pictures for the youngest readers, with built-in naiveté and silly humor, from the Abominable Snowman to the striped-shirted werewolf (check out those blue-suede shoes!), the three-footed extraterrestrial, and the teeny-tiny octopus with a single far-reaching tentacle!
Somewhat reminiscent of the all-time kiddie classic Goodnight, Moon, Dubuc’s inventive journey moves way beyond a single room … but makes sure to assuredly bring the reader right back home. It’s also got a bit of danger thrown in right in the middle … the Big Bad Wolf has quite a full belly, filled with three pigs, bricks, sticks, straw, Peter (who cried wolf), Grandma, and even Little Red Riding Hood.
But wait … I have to admit to some confusion here … so if the wolf’s belly is so very populated, how does Little Red get out to alert the hunter ahead of her? I know this is the magic of fiction, and I’m probably being too literal in my old age, but someone please do enlighten me once you’ve had a look, too …
Otherwise, it’s off we go around the universe. Come join in!
Readers: Children
Published: 2010
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