Herman's Letter

October 6, 2014
Henry the raccoon, best friend to Herman the bear, hasn’t just moved away—based on his letters, which extol great weather, new friends, and a hot-air balloon ride, it sounds like Henry has moved on, too. The dejected Herman doesn’t respond to Henry’s missives, and he is on the verge of hibernation when another letter from Henry reaffirms their friendship, convincing Herman that he must respond by any means necessary. Percival (Jack’s Amazing Shadow) uses lift-the-flap letters to give concrete reality to the friends’ correspondence, and his portrayal of Herman’s vulnerability is touching and funny. The second half of the book falters, though, as the letters are supplanted by Herman’s ain’t-no-mountain-high-enough quest to reach Henry. Percival expertly composes his vignettes, evoking snow and cold with splatters of white and washes of pale turquoise, but the writing is overly literal, and the slapstick humor creates some confusion (Herman disconcertingly slips directly from unconsciousness to hibernation). An abrupt ending, which crams in an eleventh-hour conflict regarding Herman’s snoring, doesn’t do justice to these friends’ devotion. Ages 3–6.