Uk, Eek and Ok – Or the Mystery of the Disappearing Nuts
Uk, Eek and Ok – Or the Mystery of the Disappearing Nuts
Published by Rubinstein, 2021
Illustrations by Thé Tjong-Khing
Uk, Eek and Ok are a family of three. Ok is Eek’s dad, and he’s old and wrinkly. Eek is Uk’s dad. And Uk is no one’s dad – because he’s still a baby.
Just before winter comes, Ok hides beechnuts and occasionally a chestnut or a pinecone – squirrels don’t like to eat the same thing every day either.
But when they feel hungry that winter, Ok can’t remember where he hid the nuts. He often doesn’t remember things. Luckily, Uk and Eek are there to help him look.
A Luxe Gouden Boekje about three generations, forgetfulness and family love.
'Joukje Akveld’s style is nicely upbeat, with a great tempo, and each of the sentences is just perfect. But at a few key moments, she hints that Grandpa Squirrel is having more and more trouble with his Grandpa Squirrel work. Does this lead to tragedy? No, it leads to love – these animals know how to meet such stumbling blocks with warmth, and the final remark of the book, which comes from little Uk, testifies to this most beautifully. Add in the way she plays with sound in the sentences, and you have further proof of Akveld’s skill. Yes, and then there are those delicious illustrations by Thé Tjong-Khing. The master appreciates all the nods and winks, capturing every little emotion with expressive squirrel faces and squirrel postures. From the first drawing, in which the family is introduced (a sort of official portrait, with the mini-Uk amusingly waving his mini-paw at the reader), to the picture that accompanies the touching final comment from the baby squirrel, which I mentioned above, everything transports us magically to the forest, to the snow, to the squirrels’ nest. By now, it should be clear: I fell in love with this book.'
Edward van de Vendel
