THE DAY ADAM GOT MAD
by Astrid Lindgren & translated by Barbara Lucas & illustrated by Marit Törnqvist
Why the prize bull should be in a rage and break out on Easter morning is a mystery; people from miles around gather to see what will happen next. Among them is Karl, seven, who watches while the bull rips his owner's Sunday trousers, listens to the anxious men discuss what should be done, and then—in a tender, persistent little voice—offers to scratch Adam between his horns. Adam accepts, docilely letting Karl lead him back into the barn. In the end, what matters isn't the cause of Adam's outbreak but the pleasurable excitement it causes—pungently described in Lindgren's amusingly precise text—and the peaceful resolution of the barnyard contretemps by the little "Swedish bullfighter." Tornqvist visualizes these farm folk in lovely watercolors, recalling Barbara Cooney in their careful attention to design, authentic detail, and animated characterizations; Lucas's carefully honed translation is unusually felicitous. In every way, a delightful vignette. (Picture book. 4-10)