'3 wishes for Pugman' is our first book by a German author or illustrator

A WILKINS Farago double-bill in the Canberra Times of 16 July!

Not only a very positive review of What is this thing called love?, but an equally bullish one for  Sebastian Meschenmoser’s 3 wishes for Pugman from Canberra-based writer and reviewer, Stephanie Owen Reeder:

Sebastian Meschenmoser’s 3 Wishes for Pugman (Wilkins Farago. 48 pp. $24.99) tells the tale of an old dog called Pugman who really is not having a good day. Simple pencil sketches on the endpapers show him sleeping on a mat on the floor. But once Pugman awakes, just before lunchtime, he metamorphoses into a curmudgeonly old-man-cum-dog in a dressing gown who gets more and more frustrated as he goes about his morning rituals. He goes to the toilet, combs his hair and then discovers that there is nothing for breakfast and his newspaper is a soggy mess. So far the story is distinctly drab. But then everything changes as an overly enthusiastic fairy––dressed in pink, with blonde hair and a fixed smile––suddenly appears and offers him three wishes. Colours explode across the pages as she encourages Pugman to wish for everything from a purple kitten to a pink-roofed castle. Totally unmoved by the fairy’s over-the-top enthusiasms, Pugman sticks to the things he really needs––coffee and cereal, and a fresh newspaper. And then comes the piece de resistance––Pugman’s third wish changes the fairy into a flying pig! The ending to this drolly humorous picture book is satisfyingly cheeky and cheekily satisfying. 3 Wishes for Pugman is guaranteed to leave a smile on the face of the most addled reader!