Bob is a long-toothed rabbit obsessed with finding the perfect carrot. Hilbert is a flat-nosed dog convinced he can fly. The two come to life in deft, joyous strokes: humor seeps out from white paint outside of jagged lines, goofy smiles and lanky arms, rounded noses and shifting eyes, and the slight curves of a head tilted in question. Beloved Nordic children’s book author Bárður Oskarsson’s trademark illustration crafts a minimalist world with playfully misshapen, big-footed animals who are as imperfect and human as we are. Flip the book one way and Bob loses his carrot on the bus and Hilbert can’t fly, but they give each other a little help to make things right. Flip the book the other way, and Hilbert and Bob are each able to give up a little freedom in order to fulfill their dreams. Readers will love Bob for his frank determination and Hilbert for his idealist heart. Oskarsson weaves a gently optimistic and reflective story about compromise and perspective, showing us what it’s like to hold two truths together at once. Bob & Hilbert is about the joy of learning how to rely on others through words, and shared silence. Reading this book is like making a new friend.
