Daddy Lost His Head

‘Daddy had lost his head. /It was plain to see that there was nothing on his shoulders.’ Son, daughter and Mum look in vain for the missing article and then the children have the brainwave of making another with newspaper, vegetable (for the nose), paint, wool and glue. Once the head is tapped into place with a hammer, Dad is better than new, doing all the housework at Mum’s bidding and buying toys for the children, though there are some awkward moments when he goes headless jogging. Best of all from Mum’s point of view, there’s no more snoring in bed. Eventually though, Dad’s real head does turn up: he’d left it at the office – and normal life resumes.

Quentin Blake is credited as translator as well as illustrator of this bizarre tale. For me, his illustrations are far more eloquent and amusing than the rather laboured, wordy text.