Overview

When Hamish and Hermione Hole are chased out of the cheese where they live, they search the palace for a new place to call home. But the Holes cause havoc wherever they go--no one wants holes in their underwear, bike tire, or boat! Exhausted, the pair rest in a piece of wood, only to be discovered by the palace carpenter, who knows that holes can be really useful--especially when you are making beautiful musical instruments.

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9781512439502

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A first step into the world of ontology, picture-book style! Two holes, Hamish and Hermione, try to find a new home when their Swiss cheese is eaten by mice. With nowhere now to live and wishing to be 'useful, ' they leave the 'dreary kitchen' of the royal palace to search for other meaningful locales. The king does not appreciate Hamish's new location on his sock. Hermione chooses the queen's knickers, and she is equally distressed. Remember, they are holes. Their choices spiral into a comedy of errors as bike tires deflate, boats sink, and balloons burst. 'Everyone thinks we are a nuisance, ' says a frustrated yet confident Hamish. 'But holes can be useful too.' Ingman's hand-painted blotches of color show a surprising array of emotions with just two eyes and a mouth each, an occasional blushing cheek, and stick arms and legs. These two characters (portrayed as corporeal even though holes are defined as 'nothing') change color to match their surroundings, like chameleons. They are most frequently portrayed running away, Gingerbread Man-style, from surprised royalty and castle staff, all white. Will they ever find a place to call home? What objects need holes? Bright's text deftly captures the quest for and fulfillment of true usefulness while allowing for more complex subtleties to percolate. A good choice for budding philosophers. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal This quirky tale features two unlikely protagonists, a pair of holes named Hamish and Hermione, who live in a wedge of Swiss cheese. But when mice eat the cheese, the holes must relocate, preferably somewhere they're also appreciated. But from King's sock to Queen's knickers ('Oh no! I can't let the people see my royal pink bottom!' she shrieks), the princess' bicycle tires to the prince's boat, their endeavor to find a new home brings dismay, disorder, and confusion, since no one seems to be happy to see Hermione or Hamish. Eventually the holes find a cozy home--and purpose--in the royal carpenter's workshop, where he's inspired to make something beautiful that needs some holes. Ingman's colorful, soft-lined illustrations, with whimsical and cartoonish touches, depict the anthropomorphized holes as circles with stick arms and legs and round-eyed faces. They take on the colors of the objects they peer out of, and imaginatively, they can come and go at will. This inventive story with fairy-tale flair would be a great pick for a silly storytime. --Booklist --Website

This quirky tale features two unlikely protagonists, a pair of holes named Hamish and Hermione, who live in a wedge of Swiss cheese. But when mice eat the cheese, the holes must relocate, preferably somewhere they're also appreciated. But from King's sock to Queen's knickers ('Oh no! I can't let the people see my royal pink bottom!' she shrieks), the princess' bicycle tires to the prince's boat, their endeavor to find a new home brings dismay, disorder, and confusion, since no one seems to be happy to see Hermione or Hamish. Eventually the holes find a cozy home--and purpose--in the royal carpenter's workshop, where he's inspired to make something beautiful that needs some holes. Ingman's colorful, soft-lined illustrations, with whimsical and cartoonish touches, depict the anthropomorphized holes as circles with stick arms and legs and round-eyed faces. They take on the colors of the objects they peer out of, and imaginatively, they can come and go at will. This inventive story with fairy-tale flair would be a great pick for a silly storytime. --Booklist --Website A first step into the world of ontology, picture-book style! Two holes, Hamish and Hermione, try to find a new home when their Swiss cheese is eaten by mice. With nowhere now to live and wishing to be 'useful, ' they leave the 'dreary kitchen' of the royal palace to search for other meaningful locales. The king does not appreciate Hamish's new location on his sock. Hermione chooses the queen's knickers, and she is equally distressed. Remember, they are holes. Their choices spiral into a comedy of errors as bike tires deflate, boats sink, and balloons burst. 'Everyone thinks we are a nuisance, ' says a frustrated yet confident Hamish. 'But holes can be useful too.' Ingman's hand-painted blotches of color show a surprising array of emotions with just two eyes and a mouth each, an occasional blushing cheek, and stick arms and legs. These two characters (portrayed as corporeal even though holes are defined as 'nothing') change color to match their surroundings, like chameleons. They are most frequently portrayed running away, Gingerbread Man-style, from surprised royalty and castle staff, all white. Will they ever find a place to call home? What objects need holes? Bright's text deftly captures the quest for and fulfillment of true usefulness while allowing for more complex subtleties to percolate. A good choice for budding philosophers. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal

A first step into the world of ontology, picture-book style! Two holes, Hamish and Hermione, try to find a new home when their Swiss cheese is eaten by mice. With nowhere now to live and wishing to be 'useful, ' they leave the 'dreary kitchen' of the royal palace to search for other meaningful locales. The king does not appreciate Hamish's new location on his sock. Hermione chooses the queen's knickers, and she is equally distressed. Remember, they are holes. Their choices spiral into a comedy of errors as bike tires deflate, boats sink, and balloons burst. 'Everyone thinks we are a nuisance, ' says a frustrated yet confident Hamish. 'But holes can be useful too.' Ingman's hand-painted blotches of color show a surprising array of emotions with just two eyes and a mouth each, an occasional blushing cheek, and stick arms and legs. These two characters (portrayed as corporeal even though holes are defined as 'nothing') change color to match their surroundings, like chameleons. They are most frequently portrayed running away, Gingerbread Man-style, from surprised royalty and castle staff, all white. Will they ever find a place to call home? What objects need holes? Bright's text deftly captures the quest for and fulfillment of true usefulness while allowing for more complex subtleties to percolate. A good choice for budding philosophers.--Kirkus Reviews -- Journal (2/1/2017 12:00:00 AM) This quirky tale features two unlikely protagonists, a pair of holes named Hamish and Hermione, who live in a wedge of Swiss cheese. But when mice eat the cheese, the holes must relocate, preferably somewhere they're also appreciated. But from King's sock to Queen's knickers ('Oh no! I can't let the people see my royal pink bottom!' she shrieks), the princess' bicycle tires to the prince's boat, their endeavor to find a new home brings dismay, disorder, and confusion, since no one seems to be happy to see Hermione or Hamish. Eventually the holes find a cozy home--and purpose--in the royal carpenter's workshop, where he's inspired to make something beautiful that needs some holes. Ingman's colorful, soft-lined illustrations, with whimsical and cartoonish touches, depict the anthropomorphized holes as circles with stick arms and legs and round-eyed faces. They take on the colors of the objects they peer out of, and imaginatively, they can come and go at will. This inventive story with fairy-tale flair would be a great pick for a silly storytime.--Booklist -- Website (2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Paul Bright originally trained as an engineer--which is rather unusual for a children's author. He lives in the UK and his work has taken him all over the world. Bruce Ingman studied illustration at the Royal College of Art, London. His first book, When Martha's Away, won a National Art Library Award. Since then he has produced a number of highly distinctive books.

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