The story of Mr Sommer

THE BOOK: An animated young boy navigates his way through the trials of a rural childhood - of heroic tree-climbing, wobbly bike-riding, crushing (near) romantic encounters and the most fretful piano lesson of all time.

These dramas of growing up are punctuated by a local mystery.

Why, every day, does his neighbour Mr Sommer hurry ceaselessly through the countryside, eating up the land-scape with huge strides and with no apparent destination?

He speaks to nobody, runs no errands and stops for nothing - but for what purpose?

Irresistibly funny and nostalgic, but with a twist of underlying tension, this is a classic pastoral novella brought brilliantly to life by the magical partnership of Suskind and Sempe.

THE AUTHOR: Patrick Suskind is the author of Perfume, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, The Pigeon and The Double Bass.

The Story of Mr Sommer was first published in Germany in 1991.

THE ILLUSTRATOR: Jean-Jacques Sempe is one of France's greatest cartoonists, who is best-known for the illustrated stories of Le Petit Nicolas.