SuitabookThe bureau of misplaced dads
Éric Veillé
- Reading
- Before the knife-and-fork image, mention that the picture is intended as comic strangeness and check how it feels.
- Themes
- Recognising family: The boy encounters many possible fathers but is ultimately able to remember where his own father may be. The narrative gives emotional weight to recognising one’s own parent, while presenting alternatives through playful absurdity rather than realistic family circumstances.
- Surreal humour and visual difference: The Bureau contains numerous distinctive dads, including striped-sweater, weeping and unusually dressed figures, shown through deadpan art. The book presents this favourably.
- Worth knowing
- A briefly unsettling image shows a leering dad in a cardboard box holding a knife and fork. The surrounding presentation is described as upbeat, but this moment may merit a pause.