The modest sum of fifteen euros buys a children’s book that is delicately crafted down to the gold dots on the cover. Certainly in this price bracket the attractive round spine is a well-judged choice, as is the gold foil that continues on the back. Everything is given plenty of space, and here that extends even to the title page.

The format and the way print and pictorial matter combine may not be unusual, but in its ordinariness this traditional little book is surprisingly conspicuous.

The first and last pages are the endpapers, but the astute choice of a harmonizing ochre colour tells you that this too was a considered decision. The text and dazzling illustrations are nicely balanced, producing a beautiful whole. If all these considerations became the norm for all children’s books we should have no complaints at all.