School Library Journal Review
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
Publisher's Weekly Review
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.). (Nov.)
