Horris Zeldnik is the biggest baby the doctors have ever seen. His mother must climb on 11 books to kiss him goodnight. At age four, he drinks six cartons of milk at each meal, and he brushes his teeth with a hairbrush. Unsure how to treat him, his parents send him out to get a job. He finds one at Bernard Backelbass' Box Factory, but when it becomes clear he can't count to 100, he is sent home. On the way, he encounters kids having fun on a playground and quickly decides that he prefers a job where "the hours are great, there's laughter, and you can have snacks whenever you want!" The offbeat story is paired with wacky illustrations that call up the work of J. Otto Seibold and Dan Yaccarino. Adult readers can't miss the "let kids be kids" message or the barbs at parents, but as far as young listeners are concerned, the novelty of the story will override the satire. The characters' black-rimmed, raccoon eyes are especially kooky.
Julie CumminsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
Shari Becker previously held a creative post at Nickelodeon and is the author of
Maxwell’s Mountain. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Valeria Petrone has illustrated numerous picture books, including Luther’s Halloween (by Cari Meister) and Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin (by Mary Serfozo), and does editorial illustration for several Italian and UK magazines. She lives in Milan, Italy.
