Lighter t to mention less unsettling an The Flat Rabbit (2014), this new outing from the Faroese Oskarsson playfully explores the relationship between perception and expectations. During a game of hide-and-seek, conducted in a setting that consists solely of a flat horizon line and a few isolated trees and shrubs, a rat invites a crocodile lariously depicted with oddly mismatched eyes and dentifrice sprouting sideways like a serrated fringe look for Wilbert. What does he look like? "Well," says the tiny rat, "he looks a lot like me, only a bit taller." This turns out to be true, in a sense, as the elusive quarry proves to be larger than the biggest tree in sight. But even after Wilbert lumbers out of "hiding" to tower directly in front of her, the crocodile's attention is fixed so low that, then and in later rounds of the game, she never spots him. Minimalist art and narrative notwithstanding, this is a funny and thought-provoking cousin to the blind men and the elephant parable.

A rat is playing hide-and-seek with her friend Wilbert. A crocodile offers to help look for him, but she can't see Wilbert, even when Wilbert comes out from behind a tree. Whether Wilbert is supposed to be imaginary is unclear. Equally confusing: the storyboard-like vignettes in the book's lower-left corners don't seem to correspond with the eye-pleasingly spare main illustrations.

Oskarsson explores perspective and the slippery boundary between the real and the imagined in this existential play date. A skinny, comically big-nosed rat counts, her eyes covered. It's hide-and-seek, and the game is on! But no Wilbert can be found. Instead, the rat encounters a wisecracking crocodile (with triangular teeth protruding all along its jawline) who offers to help. Together they search until two gray ears can be seen peeking above a tree. With each spread more of Wilbert appears, until a gigantic hippo, taller than the trees, is revealed. Yet the crocodile still can't see Wilbert. Despite this, the three continue their game, and the crocodile never finds Wilbert. Readers may question each character's existence, whose mind they spring from, and how the world is seen through each character's eyes. A simple cartoon style highlights distinctive animal and plant designs. Single-pane illustrations, done in a pale palette, appear on recto showing the scale of the rodent to other objects, while small vignettes on verso seem to depict the characters with a fly swatter, chasing an erratically buzzing fly. This device is perhaps an attempt to stimulate conversation, but it may result in confusion. Still, there's no question that children and caregivers will find themselves talking about it. First published in the Faroe Islands in 2016, this is a distinctly different approach to storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)