Tad has ideas, neat tools and a lovely notebook. What he struggles with is that first tap: while the planks stay leaning against the wall, nobody can see how badly the bench he wants to build might turn out.
Crumb gets him out to the yard, a nail bends and Tad wants to go back to preparing. But between a laugh, a hand steadying the wood and a break in the sun, he ends up asking to keep going himself. The bench turns out wonky; the sunset is shared. And that notebook turns out to be perfect for propping up a leg.
His real figure wears a blue hat with yellow stitching, white fibre hair, a striped tunic with stars and blue shoes. It is handmade in cold porcelain. Tad keeps that mix of excitement, nerves and tenderness every time he shows up in a story.
