For our third Pinkorama of 2026, Debbi transports us to occupied Paris in World War II with a scene from the third Team W book, All the Ways We Said Goodpeep!

In this charming domestic moment, our heroine, Daisy, and her children, Madeleine and Olivier, are in hiding in the tiny quarters of “bookseller” Kit, waiting for a surprisingly helpful elderly German officer (if you’re wondering why he’s so surprisingly helpful, you’re not the only one) to help sneak them out of France.

As anyone with kids knows, it’s hard to keep small children occupied in a small space for any length of time.  Kit has been trying to keep the children distracted with chess, but, picking up on the tension of the grown-ups around him, Olivier has overturned the chess board in a fit of picque and then gone on to yanking books from shelves.

Like many a weary mom before and after, Daisy has given up on trying to make Olivier clean up his own mess, and is cleaning up after him.  Don’t you love her charming floral frock?

Thank goodness Uncle Max (that’s Lieutenant Colonel von Sternburg to you), aka the surprisingly helpful elderly German officer, shows up in the nick of time.  Look at how Madeleine and Olivier run to him, looking for treats in his pockets.

Meanwhile, here are Daisy and Kit taking a rare kid-free moment at the table where they work, she in her charming floral frock and he in his natty tweed vest.

At last, the kids are asleep, and Daisy and Kit can retreat upstairs to Kit’s bedroom above the workroom….

I cannot tell you how delighted I am to see Madeleine and Olivier brought to peep!  (Also Daisy, Kit, and Max, of course.)  Some of you may not know, but I just happen to have two children named Madeleine and Oliver.  Naming Daisy’s children after mine was one of those many Team W in jokes we like to scatter through the books, but it makes it especially meaningful for me to see those characters immortalized in marshmallow and sugar.

I also love the bookstore (check out those rows of tiny books!) and the 1940s clothes, particularly Max’s rather forbidding looking garments.  And the hair!  And the tiny hats!

Take a bow, Debbi (in English and in French!) for a veritable tour de Peep!

Below is a portion of the relevant passage from All the Ways We Said Goodbye (I didn’t want to include too much for fear of spoilers, but this should give the flavor of it).

Join us tomorrow for our fourth and final Pinkorama of 2026!

Le Mouton Noir

Paris, France

November 1942

 

Inside the grate, the flames licked over the few black coals, but the battle was lost before it had begun. Madeleine and Kit sat at the table, playing chess, while Olivier—who had grown weary of games, and overturned the chessboard a moment ago—wandered around the tiny room, pulling books from shelves. Daisy replaced them, wearily, one by one. She’d given up trying to make Olivier put them back himself; he was too cross from being cooped up in a pair of rooms for the past two days.

Kit looked up in sympathy and pulled the pipe from his mouth. “We can trade places, if you like. Olivier, my little solider, would you like to…er, learn a few new maneuvers, perhaps?”

Olivier cast Kit a withering look. “We’ve already done that.”

“Then come back here and help your sister decide her next move.”

“Hate chess!”

“Shhh,” said Daisy. “Remember, we have to be very quiet, like mice.”

Olivier went rigid. His cheeks turned red, his eyes closed. Daisy lunged for him and tried to put her hand over his mouth, but it was too late. The scream was rising, she felt it gathering in his chest, unstoppable—

The door slid open.

Everybody whipped around.

“Uncle Max!” called out Olivier, and he ran all five steps across the room and flung himself into the arms of Lieutenant Colonel von Sternberg, who had already knelt to receive him.