Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda
by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Bloomsbury, $18
Powell's Books
ages 5 to 10
When the author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin writes a picture book, expect something out of the ordinary. First off, the entire 32-page story is a tongue-twister; in an amazing feat of linguistic acrobatics, nearly every word of text begins with a b or a d (just as in the title). Then there's the tale itself: Bob, a boy whose parents forget his existence, is raised by a pack of stray dogs. Eventually, he's befriended by Dorinda, a Cinderella-like lass who runs away from her wicked foster family. Together, they save the town from a rampaging buffalo that is delivered to the botanical gardens after being mistakenly labeled a begonia. This might be a kid's book, but it's also very Atwood—except, thankfully, for its ultrahappy ending, which even includes the return of Dorinda's long-missing parents.—Christopher Healy
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