It might be nearly 50 years old, but Hippu by Oili Tanninen (Tate Publishing, RRP £7.99) looks as if it were written yesterday. It’s the tale of a kindly mouse, Hippu, who takes in a homeless dog, Heppu, and they proceed to go about their daily business, which takes in shopping, playing and bath time – namely, activities familiar to toddlers. Tanninen was encouraged to use as few colours as possible to keep costs down (it only features black, white and red), but it’s this that makes it so appealing to little ones. Kitty can’t get enough of it and has started ‘reading’ it to herself, which is always the sign of a classic.
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