Grown-Ups Don’t Know Anything!

Loe is a stubborn toddler who has two grown-ups. She observes the adult world with amazement, and sometimes a dash of pity. Loe doesn’t understand why big people step outside the white stripes on the zebra crossing (surely everyone knows that’s where the crocodiles lurk) or why they take photos of their meals instead of eating them straight away. They also forget to look under the bed every evening to check that no monsters are hiding there. Which is exactly why they get very frightened in the dark and Loe has to creep into their bedroom each night to reassure them. Or is it the other way round?

Although Loe provides a commentary on the adult world, the adults don’t have a significant part to play in the story. In the illustrations they’re reduced to their outlines and are never fully visible. Kristof Devos has opted for a balanced palette with warm orange-red highlights and lots of white space, which sets off the characters perfectly. Loe is a little girl to treasure; her child’s logic is both funny and familiar.