Most of my recreational reading falls into the crime and mystery fiction areas. It might seem a stretch at first, but there is a connection between this book and those genres. I was driving back from Florida and thinking about Michael Connelly and his series character, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Harry is short for Hieronymus. Connelly had the 15th Century Netherlands painter in mind when he named his character. Bosch’s paintings are bizarre, disorienting, and sometimes hellish and Connelly puts Harry Bosch into that sort of landscape. This led me to think of this book. If you are not familiar with the works of Hieronymus Bosch, take a look at the Wikipedia article or just do a Google search.

In this wonderfully illustrated children’s book, Nancy Willard wondered what it would be like to live in a household filled with Bosch’s imaginary characters. His cook finds it impossible to live in a house with three-legged thistles, pickle-winged fish, a beehive in boots, pigeon-toed rats, two-headed bats and many other equally bazaar creatures. Bosch, oblivious to her distress paints away and making off-the-wall remarks that rhyme with his last name.

“My aunt was a squash,”

said Hieronymus Bosch.

She flees to what appears to be her parent’s house. In the night she is awakened by some of the creatures who hid themselves in her suitcase. They beg her to look after them and the cook says, somewhat plaintively:

“They’re not what I wished for. When women are young

They want curly-haired daughters and raven-haired sons.

In this vale of tears we must take what we’re sent,

Feather, leathery, lovely, or bent.”

She returns much to Bosch’s relief and they marry.

Willard’s words are fun with neat rhymes which are illustrated perfectly. The Dillons capture the weirdness of Bosch but in a playful, non-threatening fashion. There is a tremendous amount of detail in each picture which would be fun to pore over with a child. I base this last comment on the many hours I have spent looking at Where’s Waldo books with my grand-nephew.

The illustrations are set into an actual Bosch inspired frame made by Lee Dillon, the son of the illustrators, Leo and Diane Dillon.

If you enjoy clever, beautifully illustrated children’s picture books, you need to get this one.