The Great Indoors

Author: Falatko, Julie

Edition: Illustrated

Format: Picture Book

Number Of Pages: 40

Details:

Forest animals set up camp in an empty human house in this rollicking picture book by up-and-coming talents Julie Falatko and Ruth Chan. When the humans head out to go camping, the animals settle in for a relaxing holiday of their own! Teen bear takes over the bathroom with her curling iron, the beavers prepare their fanciest recipes, and the deer kick up their feet for a dance party. What starts as a little unwinding soon escalates to a big mess, just in time for everyone to head home. . . . Julie Falatko and Ruth Chan's quirky humors shine in this hilarious take on family trips that will have kids wondering what exactly goes on back at home when they're on vacation. From School Library Journal PreS-Gr 2-In this humorous twist on the phrase "the great outdoors," a menagerie of forest animals move into a home to enjoy the great indoors. The beavers move into the kitchen to cook and provide snacks, while the deer dance along with a karaoke machine. The skunks enjoy the electricity and cell phone reception, and the beavers are happy to be dry. The moose welcome the noise, and the bears work on projects with power tools. Before long, though, the benefits of the great indoors begin to wear thin. A beaver complains: "My thumbs hurt from playing Dam Builder 4 all day," the kitchen is a mess, and a bear breaks the bed. Finally, in a wordless double-page spread, the animals' facial expressions convey their frustration amid the chaos. The animals miss the outdoors but heartily agree to come back next year. The final pages reveal a human family approaching the door, relieved to be home and about to encounter their wrecked home after, what must be assumed, their vacation in the great outdoors. Cartoon-style illustrations and speech bubbles, alongside humorous illustrations (such as the bear working on a honey purifier), make this one a winner. VERDICT A laugh-out-loud title that's sure to be a hit with older preschoolers and early elementary students.-Ramarie Beaver, ­Plano Public Library System, TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reviews:

" In hilarious cartoon illustrations, Chan follows the wild visitors. . .as they exuberantly trash their temporary habitat and, when the revels pall, wearily depart for their native one . . . just before, unsuspecting, the human vacationers walk back through the door. A peaceful nature scene closes as neat a bit of turnabout as ever was." Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

" Kids will appreciate the entertaining riff on the way vacations go wrong and right, and maybe they'll cast a longing look behind them for possible animal adventure as they leave for their own holiday."  Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 

" The tables are turned in this mischievous comedy about the highs and lows of camping." The Horn Book

" Cartooning by Chan (Georgie's Best Bad Day) has a naive goofiness that nails the void-the-warranty spirit of time off, while Falatko (the Snappsy the Alligator series) effectively voices both deadpan narrator ("As the days went by, thing got less than perfect") and leisure-obsessed animals." Publisher's Weekly

About the Author:

Julie Falatko is the author of the Snappsy the Alligator series, illustrated by Tim Miller, as well as the Two Dogs in a Trench Coat series, illustrated by Colin Jack, and No Boring Stories, illustrated by Charles Santoso. She lives in Maine with her husband, four children, and two dogs, where she maintains a Little Free Library in front of her house. Visit her online at juliefalatko.com. Ruth Chan spent much of her Canadian childhood tobogganing, another chunk of time studying art and education at Wellesley College and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a decade working with kids in underserved communities in Boston, DC, and NYC. She has since become a full-time illustrator, spending he...

EAN: 9781368000833

Release Date: 09-04-2019

Languages: English

Item Condition: New

Binding: Hardcover