Hide and Seek by Anthony Browne
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on November 13th 2018
ISBN: 1536202606
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Hide and Seek by Anthony Browne is a picture book story that will please children ages 4 through 8 who enjoy the surrealistic style and  something-is-about-to-happen mood of the illustrations. Two children are sad because their dog Goldie has disappeared. In their unrest, they decide to play hide and seek outside in the woods. While the younger waits impatiently to be found, the older sibling wanders farther and farther looking. Both begin to worry. The reader/viewer who looks carefully will find many hidden things in the illustrations including a giraffe, dogs, duck, and an ear. The illustrations’ perspectives and somber tones  reflect the increasing fear of the children. All is golden and bright, however, when the lost dog Goldie suddenly appears and finds her boy hidden among the brush. All three go joyfully home to a sweet, homey little trailer decked out with red banners, potted plants, and flowers. This trailer is near a tall cold-looking high rise leaving the reader/listening with the feeling that there is more to think about, a sense that is in all of Anthony Browne’s books.

Reviewed by Margy Soule, Coffin School, Brunswick