POM AND PIM

Young Pom and his potato-shaped rag doll, Pim, make their way through the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Landströms’ Pom, who bears a striking resemblance to a 3-year-old Winston Churchill, ventures out into the world with his comrade, Pim. “It’s warm. The sun is shining. What luck!” But wait—there is a stone in the path that Pom doesn’t see. He trips, planting his nose in the ground. “Ouch! / Bad luck.” But wait—when he gets to his feet, he discovers a 20-krona note stuck to his nose. “What luck!” (Though Swedish, the bill’s nature and use are instantly apparent.) He buys some ice cream, generously mashing some into Pim’s face, and they both get a bellyache. So it goes. Home in bed, where he is giving his stomach a rest, he finds a balloon, which pops, but a big shard of the balloon turns into a handy poncho for Pim, and they go stand in a puddle in the rain. “What luck!” The question here is what’s not to like about these two characters? They weather the storms of misfortune and revel in fortune’s smiles. The words snugly fit the capacities of an emergent reader, but they hold a delicious sense of portent. The artwork is expressive while radiating the secure texture of a woodblock print, the colors muted, and each page is inviting, despite the vicissitudes.

A perfect primer for the existential philosophy required for a small one to make it through the day.