The Little, Little House

Joseph and his family live in a house so tiny that he feels constantly squashed and squeezed, but there is no money for another one. In desperation he consults wise Aunt Bella, who advises him to crowd the house still further by gradually bringing all of his livestock indoors. Paradoxically, this does the trick.

Souhami’s characteristically jaunty retelling of the classic folktale uses paper-cut-out and crayon effects to create broad bright areas of colour. The farmer’s growing desperation against the mounting chaos is vividly depicted in both his anguished expression and in his cumulative pleading refrain to Aunt Bella. The underlying message of being grateful for what little you’ve got isn’t exactly fashionable or particularly defensible, but it might provide a good talking point.