Oddward is the kind of children's book that sends a grownup like me back to the shelf to pick it up again and again -- for myself, of course. The surreal tale of a very precocious snake who invites himself into the home of a remarkably accomodating family, Oddward is a sweet and simple story that has the logic of a dream, told with few words an small line drawings. (With a snake as protagonist, a line drawing is really all you need.) Oddward wants to endear himself to his family and does so in many inventive ways, arranging himself as a heart, for example, for Valentine's Day. Oddward's good nature and imagination are finally rewarded at Christmastime when he teaches the whole family a lesson about keeping faith in your dreams. Oddward's antics are so funny and strange that perhaps only an adult can appreciate just how clever and,well, odd they really are. In a different world, Oddward would be a merchandiser's dream; in this one, it's just an off-the-beaten-path delight.