From Publishers Weekly
As any parent knows, pleas to kids for clean rooms often generate creative excuses. Here, a youngster begs off tidying up his room because "all the animals are sleeping"-he'll wait until they awaken. However, a wayward fly sails through the window and inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that would impress even Mary Poppins. Aggravated at the buzzing fly, the dog flails around the room in pursuit, as his tail swishes toys into the toybox, dirty clothes into the laundry bin and "moldy old apple cores" into the wastebasket. The fluffy white cat joins in the chase, skidding over the floor and earning the moniker "dust-mop cat." After added "help" from the hamster and the parakeet, the fly vanishes out the window-leaving the room spotless. Peters's (Good Morning, River!) nimble prose and kid-pleasing repetitions are heightened by Sneed's (Grandpa's Song; Turkey in the Straw) typically vivid colors, arresting perspectives and uninhibited motion. A great escape for reluctant janitors. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-A boy delays cleaning his room to avoid disturbing his four sleeping pets. However, a noisy fly appears and irritates one animal after another. In their frantic efforts to catch it, the dog, cat, hamster, and parakeet unwittingly manage to tidy the entire room before resuming their naps. This clever story is the stuff of children's fantasies-who wouldn't want a painless way to accomplish tedious cleaning chores? Sneed's watercolors bring the text to life, portraying how the various piles of clutter are eliminated through the creatures' antics. Readers will want to flip back and forth between the messy and tidy scenes and explore the intermediate pages to figure out exactly how everything got back into its proper place. This energetic and amusing book has great read-aloud potential and offers plenty for individuals to look at on their own.
Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MNCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
