The endearingly loony
The Trouble With... stories from Babette Cole have now been published in a new miniature format. As always, her vibrant, outrageously funny depictions will have kids—and parents—roaring with laughter. Winner of the prestigious Kurt Maschler Award, Babette Cole is the author of such favorites as
The Hairy Book, The Slimy Book, Dr. Dog, Princess Smartypants, and
The Bad Good Book of Manners. Other titles in this series: The Trouble with Mum, The Trouble with Gran and The Trouble with Grandad.
Grade 1-3 In this comic narrative, Dad's trouble is that he builds robots, some of which overstep their duties. His robotic rabbit mows lawnsand fences, too. The kitchen helper destroys the kitchen and drives Mom nuts. Other inventions such as a baby twirler and a whole robot soccer team earn Dad so much fame that the BBC television network wants to do a program. Just as the crew arrives, the baby gets hold of the controls and robots run amuck through the town. Dad's saddled with damage payments until a wealthy Arab buys the robots for his new museum, and Dad and the narrator can go back to what they love bestmaking more robots. Frenetic activity and robotic doings are depicted in watercolor and fine lines, and the funny details are best viewed close up. The lumpish characters, first cousins to those drawn by Victoria Chess, are sure to make young readers grin. Susan Helpler, Windsor Public Library, Conn.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.