Caramba and Henry

Caramba’s little brother Henry is a nightmare. He won’t share anything, he squishes Caramba’s favorite caterpillars, and he screams all the time. But the very worst thing about Henry is that he is learning how to fly — much to Caramba’s dismay. Caramba can’t keep up with Henry who, as he learns to fly, gets into all sorts of trouble. Caramba tries to protect his little brother, but it only makes Henry unhappy. Finally Caramba ties a string around Henry’s waist and lets him soar like a kite. One day Henry breaks free. It’s dark and the moon is rising when Caramba and his friend Portia finally find him clinging to a tree branch. And when Caramba manages to talk him down, a very relieved Henry purrs his first word: “Car-r-r-amba.” True to form, Marie-Louise Gay’s new Caramba story is straight from the heart of a young child.