BENNETT'S ROOF

The inexplicable appeal of a sharp roof-ridge leads to conflict—and then sudden resolution.

In this tale translated from Spanish, Bennett the bear lives in a house with an ordinary, shingled, steeply pitched roof. It’s not an urban oasis, but nonetheless it’s mysteriously attractive to a series of animals. Cat, Mouse, Fox, Squirrel, Owl, Moth, a family of hedgehogs, and finally Flea all claim sole occupancy rights. Piling on, they bring the roof down onto Bennett, who’s calmly drinking tea inside. No one is hurt; everyone immediately recognizes and accepts their responsibility and then teams up to rebuild. Bear offers hot chocolate as they sit demurely on the restored (and presumably reinforced) roof: “Bennett’s roof!” Have the characters learned and changed? Or are they just behaving under Bennett’s eye? Some readers may also wonder why only Bennett has a roof and home of his own—where do the other creatures live? Nevertheless, the value of teamwork comes through easily. The very cute critters are sherbet-colored but roughly to scale; they are rotund and stylized. The cat is spotted, the squirrel is red. The faint background is wintry; the existence of many similar neighboring roofs makes the compelling appeal of Bennett’s a puzzle.

An attractive tribute to collaboration—though one that may leave readers with unanswered questions.