Customer Reviews

Lazy Little Loafers

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My grandaughter has enjoyed "Lazy Little Loafers" a whole lot. And I'll be honest: so have I. Of course, I'm spectacularly immature at the age of 59. I have been head over heels in love with Orlean's writing "voice" for years. If you enjoyed her adult books "The Bullfighter Adjusts Her Makeup" and "The Orchid Thief" you -- and the child of your choice -- will probably get a kick out of "Lazy Little Loafers.''

As a children's librarian at a public library, I think this book is great. As with any book, it is for a particular age range and while I would not be able to use it for storytime, I know my 7 year old nieces will love it. A wonderful addition to our collection.

We got this for our 5-year-old, who loved it and asked to hear it over and over; even better, our nine-year-old also enjoyed hanging out nearby and listening. A really fun, engaging read.

I read a lot of children's books. Lots of them I love, some I don't care for. This is the first one I've felt compelled to write a review for. What was the publisher thinking? Cute premise, great illustrations, but it's not kid friendly. Much of it just goes over the heads of young readers/listeners. Some books include subtle jokes for the parents that don't detract from the kids' experience. This book attempts to amuse parents while including nothing that makes any sense to the kids. That alone makes it a poor read aloud choice. But when I got to the following lines, I couldn't believe what I was reading:

"And have you watched babies try to walk? Is it possible they don't work but still go out for a three bottle lunch and get a little tipsy?"

I felt that the author, editor and publisher had betrayed my trust. Drunken babies? It's fine to be edgy and expand the limits of what can be done in a picture book, but a core rule of writing is, "Know your audience." This author does not seem to know hers. This is a misguided book that attempts to appeal to parents as well as children (at least, that's what picture books are supposed to do) and fails at both.

"Lazy Little Loafers"
Written by Susan Orlean
Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
(Harry N. Abrams, 2008)
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This book is a prime example of the unfortunate modern trend in adult authors imposing their own mental framework into the world of children's literature. Author Susan Orlean wrote the best-selling novel, "The Orchid Thief," but success in the adult world does not necessarily translate into success in the "easier" realm of kids' lit. Now, I am not by any means an advocate for dumbing-down kids' books - I believe that children can grasp and appreciate and learn from an astonishing variety and level of materials. I just don't like reading books that don't work, and where the authors clearly have a tin ear for their audience and are blinded by their own cleverness.

In this instance, Orlean's premise is that the book has a young girl as its narrator who walks around putting down babies and toddlers because they are lazy and contribute little to society. She on the other hand is a (ha-hah) "big girl" who goes to primary grade school and is part of the "real world." In the end, it is revealed that she envies the babies (don't we all!) for their ability to relax and do what they want, and the girl wishes she didn't have the (ha-hah) crushing responsibilities of a first grader. So, really, who is this book for? Who gets the most out of it - kids or the adult readers who get to chortle about its negative tone and ironic bent? It's clearly not suited to toddlers, and you kind of have to work hard to impart the humor to younger readers... This is even more true because of the dreadfully leaden prose that spills out in the final pages of the book. I mean, I'm sure there are some kids and families that will "totally get" this book, but are there really that many kids that are going to sit still for such an overwritten, self-involved narrative as this? Are there no editors left? No one who could suggest to Ms. Orlean that she might want to streamline things, just a little? I thought this was a weird, weirdly tone-deaf book. More power to those readers who enjoy it, but jeez, I would have a hard time recommending this book to anyone I knew. (Axton)

My husband picked this book up at the library last week and my son was so tickled by it, he had to make sure I sat down so he could read it to me today. He is 4 1/2 and even with the sarcasm and lines like "Is it possible they don't work but still go out for a three-bottle lunch and get a little tipsy?", he thought it was hilarious (even if he doesn't really know what tipsy means)! The little girl narrating the book reminds me of the gothy Lydia from the movie Beetlejuice.

Of course the entire concept of babies being good-for-nothing slackers is ludicrous and my kid loves absurdity. If you want to encourage a well-rounded sense of humor in your child, I definitely recommend this book.

This book has got me baffled. Though I love the idea of the story, and the illustrations are truly engaging, I'm astonished that this book made it all the way through the editorial process as is. The writer is heavy handed when it comes to adult humor and no matter how many times I've tried to read this to children--they just sit there stunned. Sarcasm isn't part of a child's weaponry until much later than the slated age for picture books... I just wish there had been a bit more trimming done so that kids could actually absorb the fun story line that is hidden under the word play...

I agree with some of the unfavorable reviews about the book being un-childlike and too wink-wink clever without being funny. The reader is painfully aware of the author's voice speaking through the child narrator.

After receiving this book as a gift, my 5-year-old and I read it together and neither of us enjoyed it all that much. The overall tone as well as the details did not ring true to a child's viewpoint, even a precocious child's, in my opinion. I found myself having to explain what was going on and why the narrator was comparing babies to stand-up comedians, why she was showing babies the want ads, etc. A joke pretty much loses its humor when you have to explain the punchline, no? The only part that got a smile out of my daughter was when the narrator says that babies with sunglasses look like snobby movie stars, but that joke immediately got bogged down with snarky details. We've read funnier, more positive books about "big kids" who compare themselves favorably to babies, "How to Be a Baby", for example. It's a cute premise and title, but maybe my child and I are too Pollyanna or something.

My almost third grade son likes reading this book to himself and to others...because it's written from the perspective of a child about his age.

He likes the tongue-in-cheek humor that helped him learn more about sarcasm as a form of humor in a fun loving way.

It reminds both of us of a song from Sandra Boynton's Rhinoceros Tap called Bad Babies, a very fun and silly song from a similar point of view.

Orlean, Susan. Lazy Little Loafers. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Abrams Books for Young Readers. 2008.

The narrator of this humorous book asks, "why don't any babies work?" She examines one baby, and declares that "You don't have to be a genius to realize that babies are just lazy." She goes on to point out that babies will eagerly push strollers, and says, "big deal since (a) they're actually very bad at it, and (b) am I the only one who doesn't think that pushing a stroller is a reason to celebrate?" This delightful picture book captures perfectly the plaintive tones of an older sibling who does not understand why babies get so much positive attention. The gouache, acrylic, pencil and photo collages are clever and comical: one picture shows the little girl sitting at a table doing her homework while a baby sits relaxing in a playpen, and a double spread shows a group of industrious adults working while the little girl stands over the baby holding a newspaper page that shows the help wanted ads, the images stand out from a red and orange background. The eye-catching cover depicts babies sprawled on the grass in a park with the little girl proclaiming, "Lazy Little Loafers". Children, K-4 will delight in the tongue-in-cheek humor so adroitly expressed in both text and pictures.