Be thankful for what you have because it could always be worse – not the most stirring of lessons, but it’s the one at the heart of this Yiddish folktale. In Margot Zemach’s classic 1976 version of the tale (It Could Always Be Worse), a father seeks advice from a rabbi on how to ease the overcrowding of his home. The rabbi suggests bringing the animals indoors. The situation worsens, of course, until finally the rabbi says to remove all the animals. The man does, and is relieved to find his house not so crowded after all, thanks to the wise rabbi.

In her own version, Vlasta van Kampen alters the story slightly (the wise adviser is a fishmonger, and it’s the mother who seeks his advice) but the basic structure remains.

As she did in Bear Tales and A Drop of Gold, van Kampen is very good at retelling an old tale in a way that’s fun without being infantile and respectful of tradition without being reverential or pedantic. The author, who teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, retains the Old World setting for the story, but injects her bright, richly textured watercolour illustrations with gleeful dynamism and sly humour. Details such as the evergrowing scarf knit by the sheep and an overabundance of chicken eggs help portray the growing anarchy in the woman’s tiny house, where the animals have a tendency to sing and dance. Van Kampen’s prose is much more formal, even occasionally flat, although this makes for a good contrast with the illustrations.