Tom the Tamer

This tender, loopy, and unconventional work by a Dutch team stars a boy who wants to lure his phobic father away from his model railway and into the backyard so that the father can meet the animals he’s frightened of face-to-face. “What animals scare you?” Tom asks his father. “Butterflies, for example,” his father replies. “Butterflies are dangerous.” Tom purchases a polar bear from the local pet store and discovers that the bear can do an uncanny imitation of an armchair. “Ah,” says Tom’s father, settling back against the polar bear. “It feels divine.” This success sets the stage for a full-scale animal-furniture renovation. Veldkamp avoids analyzing the reasons behind the father’s behavior and concentrates instead on Tom’s exuberant schemes and their execution; the episodes recall gentler moments from Roald Dahl or Russell Hoban. Similarly, Hopman’s illustrations are first cousin to Quentin Blake’s, full of fanciful color and a jumble of imagined detail. The idea that Tom naturally takes the lead in curing his father’s neurosis seems perfectly appropriate, and his confidence gives the story extra fizz. Ages 4–up. (Oct.)