The Adventures of the Little Woman, Her Dog and the Pedlar

A wonderfully strange Victorian picture book that tackles a child's deepest fear: losing oneself. A little woman sets off to market to sell her eggs, but along the dusty road, she falls asleep. When she wakes, she finds her petticoats mysteriously cut and her world utterly changed. Shivering and confused, she stumbles home questioning whether she is still herself. Her dog becomes the final arbiter of her identity - if he wags his tail, she knows who she is; if he barks, something has gone terribly wrong. The dog's bark sends her into panic, but his silence finally brings relief and laughter. Alongside this tale of comic existential dread (for a child, at least), the book includes 'Love between Brothers and Sisters,' a poem about sibling quarreling. Published in 1840, this is an odd, tender artifact that understands how powerfully a child can doubt their own existence - and how much a dog's love can quiet that doubt. Perfect for reading aloud, with its rolling rhythm and absurd, lovable premise.