English / Great Britain
Edgar and the sausage inspector
Fearnley, Jan
(text/illus.)
London: Nosy Crow, 2017. – [32] p.
ISBN 978-0-85763-822-9
Siblings | Food | Villain | Trick | Punishment | Picture book
Reading age: 4+
White Ravens issue: 2018
Two hungry cats and a villainous rat in a hat – what a scrumptious recipe for an exciting story! Feline siblings Edith and Edgar own a colourful little house in a French town, and while Edith works up quite a hunger by repainting the walls, repairing furniture, and doing all kinds of handiwork in an amusing gender-role-reversal, her loving brother Edgar plans to spoil her with delicious treats. Yet every night, on his way home, he is stopped by the same (self-proclaimed) food-inspector rat with a shout of “Hold it right there!”. The insolent rodent bully confiscates the tomcat’s delicacies and vanishes. This action-filled tale is told in engaging prose interspersed with witty dialogue that lends itself to being read aloud in different voices. The comical matt illustrations are brimming with funny details and feature a cast of energetic characters. The surprising twist at the end will have readers cheering for the courageous cat hero, who eventually gets to have the last laugh.