Customer Reviews

Elmer Blunt's Open House

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Elmer Blunt's Open House still sits on my study bookshelf, though my youngest child is seventeen. I plan to have it around always.

Turning the pages of Elmer Blunt's Open House brings back all the fun of sitting with little ones. It's is a funny, clever story with illustrations that adults will enjoy. You can "read" it over and over and still find something new in the pictures. The fun is in the details of the action, and the hilarious childlike expressions on the animals' faces. Elmer leaves his house the way most of us do when late, coffee cup out, breakfast things in disarray. He accidentally leaves his door open and neighborhood animals come and use all of his things. They are are surprised by a burglar and hide. But when he finds them he is so shocked by the animals that he runs away. All of this sounds pretty routine, but the personalities of the animals in this book are wonderful and detailed and the fact that the author could write such a wonderful book, without one word of print, is amazing.

This book is a great gift for new parents, who will get a kick out of it even before their new baby is able to follow along.

This is a great book. Creates good disussion and the pictures are outstanding. One of our favorite books.

Elmer Blunt's Open House is a simple story of a man who oversleeps and rushes off to work without closing his door properly. Novak's ('While the Shepherd Slept') prose is spare and deadpan, and his cartoon-style illustrations teem with expression and mischief.

"Some animals saw the open door," he writes, "and went into the house." Accompanying pictures show a gathering managerie, sniffing cautiously, creeping tentatively and growing bolder by the minute. On succeeding pages, "They explored the kitchen, the living room...." while the illustrations depict joyful abandon and fun-filled havoc.

Until they foil a burglar and get locked into the house. Children will sympathize while they laugh and "read" this book for themselves again and again.

My Two year old Daughter loves this book. She is an animal lover and there are many animals in this book. She has us read it to her 5 or 6 times a day. The story is funny and the illustrations are great.