From Publishers Weekly
A dozen straightforward sentences--and page after page crowded with panels of uproariously funny pictures--tell the diverting tale of what happens when Elmer Blunt leaves his door ajar one day. First, eight animals wander in and make themselves at home--creating a merry mess in the process. The next visitor, a masked robber with a wonderfully wicked grin, fills his sack with unlikely booty (including a roll of toilet paper) before entering the bedroom, where the frightened menagerie is huddled in the closet. "Furs!" he exclaims, misjudging the animals, who (draped with articles of clothing) then chase the intruder downstairs "and out the door, slamming it behind him." Though this rollicking slapstick would have been enough to make kids howl with laughter, there's more: when the intruders find they can't leave the house, they hide under the bed while an oblivious Elmer cleans up, and at last escape out the window as he sleeps "in his safe, quiet home." Since Novak's ( While the Shepherd Slept ) gleeful, high-spirited art tells the story so adeptly, this is a great one for preschoolers to "read" solo. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-- As in While the Shepherd Slept (Orchard, 1991), Novak explores the question of what really happens when you're not looking. When Elmer hurries off to work leaving the door ajar, woodland animals enter and make themselves at home. So does a burglar, who's frightened by the animals and flees the scene, dropping his loot. Elmer returns to the disarray, says `` ` . . . I really made a mess this morning!,' '' and tidies up. As he falls asleep appreciating his ``safe, quiet house,'' the creatures, who've been hiding beneath his bed, exit silently through the window. This enjoyable book has several things going for it. Essentially, it's a wordless picture book with occasional captions, which is a useful combination. The story line is developed and understood via sequential illustrations, putting preschool ``readers'' in the driver's seat, making them responsible for finding and paying attention to Novak's charming touches. At the same time, the brief text imposes some structure and invites the participation of adults. The illustrations (in oil pastels) are fairly simple; each picture contains a funny (often slapstick) detail or two targetting preschoolers' interests. It's a book that's sure to add a lot of fun to family reading. --Liza Bliss, formerly at Leominster Public Library, MA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
