Little Wonder

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

Sylvester is a very successful organ grinder, largely due to the comical
antics of his monkey. When a talent scout promises to make the monkey a
star in the movies, Sylvester replaces him with a unique little dog that
is supposed to be able to emit an extraordinary sound. The organ grinder
tries to teach the dog her predecessor’s tricks, but she never
responds and just sits by his foot. Crowds no longer throw pennies, and
Sylvester becomes impoverished and is eventually taken to hospital in
ill health. The neighbors who commit him to the hospital forget about
his dog, Little Wonder. She waits patiently for his return, but no one
comes except a burglar. In order to stop the burglar, Little Wonder
finally makes the noise she was supposed to be famous for—a deep,
booming blast that stuns the thief and brings the neighbors running. Now
Little Wonder is a star, and Sylvester makes their fortunes by selling
working models of the dog.

One waits with anticipation for a new Robin Muller book and, as always,
one is not disappointed. The story is touching, sentimental, humorous,
and well written. The language is perhaps not as rich in descriptive
imagery as in previous works, but most of those tended to be fantasies
and otherworldly fairy tales, which lend themselves rather more to an
elaborate, lyrical style. This is a more down-to-earth tale, grounded in
an urban setting (which the emphasis on the phenomenon of the “star”
reinforces). His illustrations indicate that the story is set in the
1950s and the street scenes accurately reflect the fashions and other
distinctive features of that decade. Muller’s artwork is always
gripping, as he is a master at capturing expression and mood, as well as
time and place, in line and color. Highly recommended.