THE ANIMAL HEDGE

The versatile Fleischman presents a delightful tale of following one’s dreams. A farmer “whose heart glowed like a hot wood stove with the love of animals” loses his land to drought. The grief-stricken farmer finds solace by trimming his hedge in the shape of animals. Each spring his hedge brings forth chicks, calves, and piglets that grow over the summer to adult topiary animals. When the farmer’s three sons come of age and need to find trades, they trim the hedge into shapes that reveal their own hearts’ desires. Ibatoulline, who seems never to do the same thing twice, offers watercolor-and-gouache illustrations, reminiscent of American folk art complete with crackle, perfectly evoking agricultural contentment. Deceptively simple endpapers and borders complement lavish spreads of the fantastic hedge. Joyous, peaceful, and lovely. (Picture book. 6-9)