Mr. Krup’s Pup
by Eva Lindström; illus. by the author; trans. from Swedish by Annie Prime
Primary    Astra    32 pp.
12/24    9781662620706    $18.99
e-book ed.  9781662620713    $11.99

Mr. Krup and his pup, Marble, live together like old friends. It’s a loving relationship, and Mr. Krup is forgiving of his mischievous pup and indulges her every whim. Soon after Marble comments, “I like the moon,” Mr. Krup can be seen through the window building a rocket ship while Marble lounges in her comfy basket, watching dog races on TV. That night Marble notices “the moon dropped from the sky. The sky went dark.” In the morning, Mr. Krup returns, bringing home the moon for Marble. Lindström infuses dry humor into this whimsical, smoothly translated story of a man and his dog. The pup takes center stage on most pages and will delight viewers with her droll expressions. For example, when Mr. Krup returns from space, the illustration shows Marble peering at him and his rocket from her bed with only one eye open. Lindström uses a luscious blue-green pastel shade complemented by browns, yellows, and grays for her gouache and watercolor illustrations, creating an atmosphere of easy domesticity. At the end of the story, Marble casually mentions, “I like the sun,” and the reader is left to imagine what happens next.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.