Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones [Hardcover]

Phyllis Root (Author), David Parkins (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up

When Cousin Lazybones comes to visit Aunt Nancy but refuses to help with any of the work around the house, she must figure out a scheme to get rid of him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The heroine from this duo's earlier Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble (see Reprints below) returns to outwit a do-nothing relative in this spunky tale. Aunt Nancy dreads a visit from Cousin Lazybones, who is sloth personified. But "family was family, so what could she do?" Aunt Nancy never expected, however, the depths of Cousin Lazybones's flaw. His idea of washing the dishes is to turn dirty plates over to use the other side; he fetches water by setting a pail outdoors and waiting for rain. And even this minimal activity leaves the oaf physically spent. Aunt Nancy decides that "Family is family. But enough is enough" and to Cousin Lazybones's dismay, she comes down with a case of laziness herself. With all the chores left in his lap, Cousin Lazybones flees in horror. Root brings generous dollops of humor and homespun flavor to her folktale, carefully setting up Cousin Lazybones for a fall. Though the dialect is a bit uneven (in a few places, grammar is needlessly incorrect), the countrified idioms provide lots of flair. Parkins alternates shadowy full-color oils with spots of black-and-white silhouette art for a visually satisfying effect. His Cousin Lazybones is an unkempt bumbling giant of a man, the antithesis of diminutive Aunt Nancy in her tight coif and apron. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Root and Parkins, who created Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble (Candlewick, 1996), pair up again to delight young readers with another original trickster tale. Cousin Lazybones, whose favorite occupation is sleeping, makes himself right at home-mostly in the rocking chair-during his (uninvited) visit to Aunt Nancy's. His answer to helping with the chores involves putting the water bucket outside the door until it rains and eating off of both sides of the plates before washing them. Aunt Nancy is no fool, however, and she outwits Cousin Lazybones. The next morning, she pretends that a "bone in her leg" makes it impossible for her to walk and lists all of the tasks that need to be done on this "spring-cleaning day," which quickly sets the lazy relative a-running. Aunt Nancy turns gleeful cartwheels in the yard after his departure. Most pages feature small silhouette illustrations accompanying the text; juxtaposed are full-color paintings styled with the kind of broad, exaggerated action that brings the story to life. The two characters, exuding expression, suit their parts to a T.
Barbara Elleman, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick Press; 1st edition (October 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564024253
• ISBN-13: 978-1564024251
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,197,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Phyllis Root has written many award-winning books for children, including TEN SLEEPY SHEEP, OLIVER FINDS HIS WAY, ONE DUCK STUCK, WHAT BABY WANTS, RATTLETRAP CAR, and BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD, winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids LOVE this book!, September 3, 2000

By 

Rebecca Montalbano (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones (Hardcover)

Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones was a BIG hit with my 4-year-old and my 3-year-old! Every page kept their attention with great illustrations, instantly developed characters, and a VERY funny story full of cute little phrases. "I'd be pleased as petunias to help," said Cousin Lazybones. They love to pretend they have a "hitch in their gitalongs" like good old Cousin Lazybones did!

I also stopped after every lazy thing Cousin Lazybones did and asked my children what SHOULD he have done? They knew right away! They really enjoyed this book, and I REALLY enjoyed reading aloud to them OVER and OVER!

5.0 out of 5 stars The wonderful Aunt Nancy, April 11, 2010

By 

N. Hubble "bookantics2" (Lawrence, KS United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones (Paperback)

I sincerely love the Aunt Nancy series...They are funny, kind and deal with normal problems in a thinking woman's way. Plus the the heroine is an old lady who shows how using one's brain can deal with problems much bigger than she is! This insightful book helps children see ways to handle life's problems and each other by providing some alternate ways to handle lazy friends and family.

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorite books, January 19, 2010

By 

J. Ginter "weeding & witeing" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Aunt Nancy and Cousin Lazybones (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite books; one of the few I can read to the kids again and again without falling asleep. They think it's a little odd, however, that I laugh so much in the process.