Bohemian and charming: a children’s book about the day the water rushed in

What if playgrounds, parks and streets suddenly became one enormous water park, complete with slides, floating toys, crocodiles and a passing whale? Alexandra Sundqvist and Erik Svetoft’s “Waterland” begins with that familiar children’s-book fantasy, then gives it an unexpectedly darker charge.

The story starts on an ordinary day. Kvisten, Pinnen and the others eat breakfast calmly in a workplace that may also be their home. Then, in the middle of spreading marmalade, their feet become wet. Water begins pouring everywhere, sea creatures arrive and the group sets out in a small boat to investigate.

The journey takes a classic turn as the characters pick up more frightened and dissatisfied passengers. Three sour, antlered moose appear with blurred protest signs, bringing the old song “The Moose Are Demonstrating” into the illustrations.

It comes as no surprise that the Chief, a stiffly dressed figure who keeps apart from the others, is responsible. He plans to make money from the transformation. Yet the characters forgive him, compromise and help one another. In Erik Svetoft’s humorous depiction, the Chief resembles a slightly rumpled bureaucratic Dartanjang, with an awkward relationship to the world around him.

The review describes “Waterland” as a friendly comedy for children from age three. Its tone is more astonished than angry, combining the security of an expected happy ending with the freedom of an unlimited fantasy. The story leaves little room for a direct argument about right and wrong.