What's Going On?
by Elena O'Callaghan; illustrated by Africa Fanlo
Kane/Miller
Hmmm ... the household's falling to pieces. Mom and Dad used to be so efficient, so on top of things, until about three months ago. Now Dad wears mismatched shoes, the place is a wreck, Mom puts bug spray in her hair. Whaaaa?
That's one little boy's reaction as his whole house is turned upside-down. Graph paper's used to give Fanlo's mixed-media creations a retro feel, but a bit off-kilter, like the Jetsons having a series of bad hair days. One one side--Then--is how things used to be: squeaky clean kitchen, ultra-calm parents. On the opposite--Now--is Mom wobbling under armloads of laundry or Dad missing the easy shots in soccer.
Of course, you'll know exactly what's happened in the last three months, but let's not spoil the surprise. The narrator is clueless, an unusual trick to see pulled off so convincingly in a book for very little kids, but they'll have fun figuring it out in the last page or so.
And you can always point out what caused your tot's parents to lose their last shreds of sanity. They'll probably think that's pretty funny too.
Rating: *\*\*\
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