Reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown and Leonard Weisgard’s Noisy Book series from the ’30s-’50s, Kevin Henkes has adopted the simple, direct and child-friendly style of writing in the refreshingly quirky Circle Dogs that takes us through a day in the life of a pair of pet dachshunds.

  
While the limited colour palette seems to be a nod to the bygone era, the illustrations are anything but dated: the cleverly designed pages make the most of Dan Yaccarino’s modern, stylised graphics to lend a playful sophistication, perfectly complementing the sparse but lively text that vividly brings out the sounds and movements of the dogs.

  
Creative, imaginative and humorous, this is one of the rare books that will probably appeal equally to toddlers and design aficionados alike.