If you have a young daughter (or neice, grandchild, friend) - round 5 to 9 - or if she's extra, adorably silly, maybe she could be 10 or 11 - buy this book instantly! It guarantees you a sweet, hilarious, musical time with your child that will banish all sadness, patches of picque, ambivalence about where this world seems to be heading. The language occupies its own universe, the illustrations are totally organic to the text - a perfect literary marriage. Both have been whelped by two brillianty funny English women who instinctively intuit what little girls will love. No miracle, certainly, since it's likely that they were themselves once little girls who responded with unconditional love to ineffably fabulous books. This one, bordering on picture book genius (I deal in understatement) will become a classic. To me, it harbors greatness because I, too, am a children's book practitioner, and it passes the true test: I'm abject that I wasn't clever enough to create such a kiddie masterpiece.