Happy Hector: A Tilly and Friends Books
This delightful picture book and its companion, Hello, Tilly (2008), feature a mix of characters who all live together in a yellow house, including a little girl, Tilly, and a toddler, Hector, who happens to be a pig. When the story begins, Hector is sitting on Tilly’s lap, proclaiming, “I’m the happiest I have ever been!” Ah, but as adults know all too well, such transcendent happiness cannot last. Soon Tiptoe the rabbit invites himself on Tilly’s lap, and the other housemates—an alligator, a chicken, and an elephant—want in, too. This leaves Hector tossed on the floor under the elephant’s behind, now the unhappiest he’s ever been. Offers to play from his friends are rejected; Hector still wants Tilly, but she is busy painting. All ends well, though, when he sees the picture is of him. Dunbar gets everything right here, especially her portrayal of the extremes of emotion young children can experience. The mixed-media artwork focuses in on the characters, placing them against expanses of buff-colored pages, and expertly captures the essence of each with a remarkable economy of line and text. Sweet.