Now the beauty of being a picture book fan is devouring the fabulous artwork on display. What I like most is when you scan the shelves and out jumps an always favourite. David Roberts always does a great job and is a must-buy whenever I come across his work.
However, this was the first Alice B. McGinty I’d ever read and I’m pleased to say that thanks to my mate Dave, I’ll be seeking out more of her work.
I love it when children’s stories are a farce. The silly joy that comes from a simple gag that any reader can understand and giggle at is vastly underrated.
Every household has had the panic of the ‘a visitor is coming, let’s tidy up NOW!’ Take that ingredient, a list of jobs in magnet letters on the fridge and a mischievous pussycat dreading a bath and you get this bundle of fun. The constant upping of the nonsense is pitch perfect!
Now for the teacher bit. It is so important that all of society is represented in the classroom and books is a great way to do that. Throughout the review, I made a point of not highlighting how diversity is present as the story doesn’t need there to be two dads, or them to be black…or for the children to be adopted, or the family to be blended races. It simply needed a grandparent to visit and a cat to cause chaos. This to me is true representation in children’s books and it is essential that children have a reading diet like this.
Bathe the cat, clean the house, or just read this book without a doubt.
The Great British Bookworm 