September 6, 2021
Clean-up time turns topsy-turvy when an interracial family’s mischievous cat jumbles up their to-do list in this sure-footed picture book. With a visit from Grandma impending, the story opens with one of two brown-skinned fathers delegating tasks: “Dad will mow the lawn,/ and Sarah, sweep the mat./ Bobby, rock the baby,// and I’ll bathe the cat.” The tasks are spelled out in magnetic letters on the fridge, just above a child’s hand-drawn family portrait. Averse to a bath, the family pet slyly modifies the list—a colorful spread shows two orange paws scrambling up the words, resulting in something much sillier: “sweep the dishes,” “rock the rug,” and “scrub the fish.” Equally unhappy with the adjusted words’ next variation (“mow the cat”), the feline’s hijinks continue until one dad takes charge, and the fathers and three children, all with various skin tones, get organized just in time for Grandma’s arrival. Pencil and watercolor scenes by Roberts (The Cook and the King) emphasize the increasing goofiness of the family’s repeated efforts to get their mess under control, and light rhymes by McGinty (A Story for Small Bear) pair smartly with the amusing concept. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Stephen Chudney, the Chudney Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Christine Isteed, Artist Partners (U.K.).
November 1, 2021
With a wildly mixed-up list of chores, will the house ever get cleaned? Grandma is on her way over, and the house is a mess. Using colorful magnetic letters on the refrigerator, Daddy--one of two dark-skinned fathers--makes a to-do list that consists of mopping the floor, scrubbing the dishes, vacuuming the rug, feeding the fish, mowing the lawn, sweeping the mat, rocking the baby, and bathing the cat. That last instruction gets the attention of the marmalade-colored feline, whose ears perk up. In the next spread, readers see a paw rearranging the letters on the refrigerator, which results in utter confusion for the family--and subsequent slapstick adventures. Bobby rocks the rug; Dad attempts to mow the cat; and Sarah mops the baby. Daddy tries his best to get the chores in order, but the kitty continues to wreak havoc at the refrigerator. More than once, confused Daddy returns to the list but continues to dole out chores. In the end, the lucky cat merely gets a cuddle (no baths), and Grandma visits a clean house. McGinty's jaunty, rhyming text makes for a fun read-aloud, but Roberts' brightly colored, energetic illustrations are the real attraction. The increasingly frantic family, with light to dark skin tones, doing silly tasks from a muddled list will incite giggles. (This book was reviewed digitally). The smart and sneaky puss wins the day. (Picture book. 3-5)
COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
November 1, 2021
PreS-K-A sly cat helms this comedy of errors featuring a diverse family with two fathers who both have brown skin and black hair. Expecting Grandma Marge at two o'clock, the parents and their kids follow a list of chores that must be done in order to get the house in top form. One father outlines the chore list with alphabetic refrigerator magnets. When the family cat catches wind that his bath is on the list, he rearranges the chores to read, "feed the floor ... sweep the dishes." Tomfoolery ensues as the family sets out on their jumbled tasks, and the cat-unable to read the words he is rearranging-finds this mix-up did not work out in his favor, as he hears the final task of "mow the cat." The cat moves the letters yet again and the chores get ever sillier, ending with-much to the feline's dismay-"vacuum the cat." The family has almost run out of time to clean before Grandma Marge's arrival, so one father takes charge, ending the list with a much more kitty-friendly "rock the cat." Told in rhyming verse, McGinty's silly yarn has charm to spare. Young readers will be tickled by the cat's mischievous misdirects and the resulting pandemonium. Roberts's pen and watercolor illustrations carry on the aesthetic tradition of Pat Hutchins and Judi Barrett, paying homage to the colors and fashions of the 70s. Each page is filled with well-conceived details that deserve close inspection.VERDICT Preschoolers will be in stitches reading this modern revelry told through a vintage lens. A recommended purchase for most collections.-Sarah Simpson, Westerville P.L., OH
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 1, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 Grandma's coming to visit, and the family--two dads and their kids--must quickly tidy up. Getting started, one dad assigns who'll be doing what, listing everything on the refrigerator in colorful letter magnets--"Bobby, mop the floor. / Dad will scrub the dishes. / I'll vacuum the rug. / Sarah, feed the fishes"--plus, there's giving kitty a bath. Hearing the latter, the none-too-thrilled cat takes action, rearranging the refrigerator words, and then the task-organizer jumbles his instructions, too ("I'll vacuum the lawn. / Bobby, bathe the mat. / Sarah, mop the baby, / and Dad will mow the cat"). But kitty's not keen on that either! The cat scrambles the words again (and again), with the confusion escalating with each mischievous revision. Finally, everything's sorted and neat when Grandma arrives, and while kitty never receives a bath, perhaps that was the plan all along. Lively, expressive watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of the multiracial family and animated scenarios are the perfect accompaniment for the peppy rhyming text, humorously depicting the household-chores chaos (and kitty's contributions) in this inviting, quite entertaining read-aloud friendly title.
COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from January 1, 2022
A family of five has a lot to do before Grandma's visit; luckily, the father narrating McGinty's (The Water Lady, rev. 3/21) energetically rhyming story is good at delegating: "Bobby, mop the floor. / Dad will scrub the dishes. / I'll vacuum the rug. / Sarah, feed the fishes." In case anyone needs a reminder, a job list is on the refrigerator, spelled out with colorful magnetic letters. The list is helpful...and it's also how things go off the rails. An orange cat sneakily rearranges the words on the fridge, hoping to escape the dreaded "I'll bathe the cat." When the family gets to work, they're confused but compliant: "I'll vacuum the lawn. / Bobby, bathe the mat. / Sarah, mop the baby, / and Dad will mow the cat." Whoa! Definitely not what the cat intended. Cleanly rendered illustrations show the family dutifully following orders while things go hilariously wrong. Roberts's (Ada Twist, Scientist) precise pencil and watercolor illustrations go beyond the entertaining premise to matter-of-factly portray a family at the intersection of a number of identities. The two fathers have brown skin, as do two of their kids. Sarah, who wears a T-rex costume, is white with red hair and freckles. Dad, who also has freckles, wears pink pants, as does Bobby. This diversity isn't the point of the story but offers much to contemplate after the silliness is done -- and the cat still isn't bathed. Kitty Flynn
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2022
A family of five has a lot to do before Grandma's visit; luckily, the father narrating McGinty's (The Water Lady, rev. 3/21) energetically rhyming story is good at delegating: "Bobby, mop the floor. / Dad will scrub the dishes. / I'll vacuum the rug. / Sarah, feed the fishes." In case anyone needs a reminder, a job list is on the refrigerator, spelled out with colorful magnetic letters. The list is helpful...and it's also how things go off the rails. An orange cat sneakily rearranges the words on the fridge, hoping to escape the dreaded "I'll bathe the cat." When the family gets to work, they're confused but compliant: "I'll vacuum the lawn. / Bobby, bathe the mat. / Sarah, mop the baby, / and Dad will mow the cat." Whoa! Definitely not what the cat intended. Cleanly rendered illustrations show the family dutifully following orders while things go hilariously wrong. Roberts's (Ada Twist, Scientist) precise pencil and watercolor illustrations go beyond the entertaining premise to matter-of-factly portray a family at the intersection of a number of identities. The two fathers have brown skin, as do two of their kids. Sarah, who wears a T-rex costume, is white with red hair and freckles. Dad, who also has freckles, wears pink pants, as does Bobby. This diversity isn't the point of the story but offers much to contemplate after the silliness is done -- and the cat still isn't bathed. Kitty Flynn
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2022
A family of five has a lot to do before Grandma's visit; luckily, the father narrating McGinty's (The Water Lady, rev. 3/21) energetically rhyming story is good at delegating: "Bobby, mop the floor. / Dad will scrub the dishes. / I'll vacuum the rug. / Sarah, feed the fishes." In case anyone needs a reminder, a job list is on the refrigerator, spelled out with colorful magnetic letters. The list is helpful...and it's also how things go off the rails. An orange cat sneakily rearranges the words on the fridge, hoping to escape the dreaded "I'll bathe the cat." When the family gets to work, they're confused but compliant: "I'll vacuum the lawn. / Bobby, bathe the mat. / Sarah, mop the baby, / and Dad will mow the cat." Whoa! Definitely not what the cat intended. Cleanly rendered illustrations show the family dutifully following orders while things go hilariously wrong. Roberts's (Ada Twist, Scientist) precise pencil and watercolor illustrations go beyond the entertaining premise to matter-of-factly portray a family at the intersection of a number of identities. The two fathers have brown skin, as do two of their kids. Sarah, who wears a T-rex costume, is white with red hair and freckles. Dad, who also has freckles, wears pink pants, as does Bobby. This diversity isn't the point of the story but offers much to contemplate after the silliness is done -- and the cat still isn't bathed.
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)