The Big Question

Like every year, everyone gathers on the top of the hill. Ant is very happy that it is finally her turn to chair the meeting, in which they will discuss a difficult question. Elephant asks how you know that you love someone. Everyone tries to contribute by describing how they feel about the one they love. The mouse felt as strong as an elephant when he saw his beloved for the first time. The clouds always float along in the same direction, even if they have just roared and clattered against each other. And grandma still reads a poem to grandpa every week, even though he passed on quite a long time ago. Elephant understands and knows what to do, but Ant has a little more trouble. The industrious ant, who writes down all the answers but doesn’t let any of them really sink in, is left behind all alone, apart from the flower Elephant was holding longingly in the first picture.

The variegated and detailed illustrations really grab the reader’s attention. The first pages are quite dark but the more the animals talk about love, the lighter the illustrations get. In the end they form an expanse of colour, with all kinds of loved-up couples from the animal kingdom captured in shades of red and pink.