Form and function meld with fun and whimsy in a tale of the futility of building walls.
The Kerfuffle
Dog and Cat were happy living next door until a misunderstanding caused a real kerfuffle! Now they can’t stand each other any longer, so they start to build a wall between their gardens. The wall goes up and up and up.
One day a funny rabbit pops its head over. But whose garden will this new friend play in? Here’s another cause for chaos between neighbors! Finally a better idea for how to use the bricks finds three happy friends sharing the garden after all—until some pigs move in next door . . . .
From the creator of sensational lift-the-flap books about fairy tales and adventures comes a delightfully simple story about getting along with friends, which doesn’t put the lid on pandemonium.
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Book Details
Country of Origin France Reader Age 5-7 year Book Size 265 × 155 mm
(hardback)ISBN 9798765688656
(hardback)
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Reviews
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Red Reading Hub –
Kitty and Pup are neighbours and the best of friends but suddenly everything changes. Kitty eats Pup’s fish, so in return Pup takes Kitty’s slipper. Now the two besties have become enemies and they decide not to see one another any more—ever. To that end they build a wall separating their abodes (the book’s flaps let readers see what is happening on either side.
With the wall complete, peace reigns but then a bunny rabbit appears on top of it. Dog and Kitty both want to make friends with the rabbit and they start fighting over the newcomer.
Now none of them is happy and Rabbit runs off. Eventually however Kitty decides it time to make peace with Dog and a lot of crashing and banging ensues that results in a solution that makes everyone happy. Demonstrating the pointlessness of building walls, Clotilde Perrin’s clever amalgam of narrative and illustrations with those strategically placed flaps works really well. The illustrations deserve careful perusal as there is a lot going on between bit part players such as a pair of birds that start nesting, as well as a couple of mice.
LoveReading4Kids –
October 2025 Book of the Month
A particularly clever and fun-filled flap book.
There’s a wall in the middle of this book, and we lucky readers get to see what’s on both sides.
It’s not there right from the beginning; initially next-door neighbours Kitty and Pup get along perfectly well, indeed, they play catch across their wall-free front garden. But after a big falling out, these two friends become such enemies that they really need a wall to keep them apart.
Via the clever device of flaps, which get progressively bigger as more bricks are added, we can watch the construction of the wall and see the separate lives being lived on either side.
All changes again when a very cute rabbit appears on the top of the wall. Both Kitty and Pup want to play with this new arrival, but they’ll have to get over their argument first.
As ever with this author illustrator, creator of the remarkable The Remarkables amongst other must-have books, this is a great story told with humour, wit and ingenuity. In addition to the main plotline, there are all sorts of other adventures going on in the background and the flaps are so much more than a gimmick; they’re integral to the story and a wonderful reverse illustration of how this relationship falls apart and is built back up. There’s an extra twist at the end to be enjoyed too.