HOBBLEDY-CLOP

This welcoming item follows a day in the life of Brendan O’Doyle, one that features a surprise tea party Brendan is giving for his grandmother. Brendan has loaded his red wagon with all the ingredients necessary for the tea and is pulling it to his grandmother’s over a stony, rural lane, drawn here with amiable, softly colored simplicity. “Hobbledy-clop, hobbledy-clop.” The cookies, milk, and sugar attract a number of Brendan’s friends: his dog, his cat, his horse, and Dudley the snake. All gathered, they arrive to the delight of Grandma and tuck into the food. Dudley engages in a tickling match with Grandma, which sets the whole party chortling madly: the teapot tips over, as does the milk jug, and cookies scatter, too. Dudley retires to the overturned teapot for a snooze; the others gather the cups and plates, and the party heads home, hobbledy-clop. Despite the modest mayhem, this is a good bedtime number, with its gentling illustrations and the sense of a day well spent and come to a fitting close. (Picture book. 4-7)