Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker: A Peek Through Story by Jessica Ahlberg

Like The Jolly Postman and Peek-A-Boo, Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker has a little extra going for it - peek through holes that reveal what is coming and what has passed wonderfully. The cover (which has a hole in it) opens to reveal Lucy beginning to read a story about a troll (The Three Billy Goats Gruff) to Mr. Barker in her absolutely adorable bedroom. But Mr. Barker would rather chase a butterfly out the window.
Soon enough, Lucy and Mr. Barker are wandering through fairy tale after fair tale, chasing that butterfly and escaping bears, wolves, giants, and children eating witches just in time.
Along the way, Lucy and Mr. Barker gather friends, from Goldilocks to the three pigs to Jack and Sleeping Beauty. The group ends up back in Lucy's cozy room where she offers to read them all a story. They all agree, as long as there are no, "fairies, no giants, no big bad wolves, and no bears!" Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker ends, delightfully, where it began, with Lucy reading, "Once upon a time there was a troll . . ." The final illustration shows a troll peeking in the window, Mr. Barker sticking his tongue out at him!
Jessica Ahlberg is definitely in the family business, I hope for a very long time!
More books by and/or
illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg
Yucky Worms by Vivian French
Toon Tellgren's story collections
A page from EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Janet & Allan Ahlberg that reminds me of Fairy Tales for Mr. Barker
Source: Review Copy, but I would have bought my own anyway...