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Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
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 her time creating picturebooks, illustrating for various clients, and doodling on the train. Ruth now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her dog, Feta. Find out more about Ruth and her other books at ohtruth.com.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
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, TX © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Humans head to the outdoors to get away from it all-why shouldn't forest animals recharge their batteries by doing the exact opposite? That's the perfectly reasonable explanation for a bunch of critters surreptitiously turning a house into vacation central while its human owners are away. This is the real "simple life": a roof over their heads, a big-screen TV, a kitchen (the beavers cook lasagna and bring lots of ice cream), and great phone reception. "The most relaxing week of the year" says a blissed-out mother bear. But every vacation eventually runs out of steam ("I miss peeing behind a tree," a skunk says; "Who keeps licking the butter?" a beaver asks) and the group decamps, leaving behind a house that's definitely worse for the wear and promising to rendezvous at the same time next year. 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 go by, thing got less perfect") and leisure-obsessed animals: "Good-bye, peace and quiet!" "Hello, dance party!" Ages 3-5. Author's agent: Danielle Smith, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
The tables are turned in this mischievous comedy about the highs and lows of camping. As a camper van full of humans drives away from a house, two bears in the front yard come out of hiding: the coast is clear. Father, mother, and teenage bearsoon followed by beaver, deer, and skunk familieswaltz in, luggage and groceries in hand, looking forward to the most relaxing week of the year. The deer bring a karaoke machine and disco ball; the beavers take over the kitchen; the skunks take advantage of the cellphone reception; and the bears lounge about (though the teen prefers primping in the bathroom). The animals week of excess and crowded quarters, however, leads to discord and chaos, with everyone eventually realizing that the great indoors is too much work. They pack up and head out, cheerfully promising to return next year. Chans cartoon illustrations are playful and expressive, and the mostly dark-brown forest animals stand out against primarily pastel-colored backgrounds. Chan gives human hairdos to some of the creaturesfather bear has a comb-overand plays up the outlandish humor inherent in forest creatures vacationing indoors. The story stops just short of the human family members discovery of the wreckage by showing them on the doorstep, happy to be home, tantalizingly leaving their presumed shock and dismay to readers imaginations. julie Danielson March/April 2019 p 57(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
When a human family goes away for a week, various animals use their home as a vacation spot.On the front endpapers, the van is depicted driving off, packed with sleeping bags, fishing poles, and gear. Animals peek out from behind bushes, and the bears are the first to step inside the house. "Ah, the great indoors!" The bears are followed by beavers, who make extensive use of the conveniences of the kitchen; next come deer, ready for a dance party, and skunks, who enjoy the "simple life" with electricity. Toward the end of the week, things start to go awry, with messes everywhere. The animals start to miss home, and they're ready to leave, though they make plans to return next year. Chan's playful illustrations use clean lines and watercolor in light colors to build from fun to chaos. The text is filled with inside jokes for knowing older members of outdoorsy families, but even those don't manage to raise the story's humor beyond a smile. With little substance beyond the familiarity of the role reversal and no interesting surprises or humor to grab readers' attention, this book doesn't reach its potential. A cute concept poorly delivered. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Vacation time! No sooner does the RV, piled high with camping gear, head off down the road toward Mother Nature than Nature begins moving into the empty house. The bears always arrived first, Falatko begins, and the bears are soon joined by beavers lugging groceries, deer with a karaoke machine and disco balls, and skunks plugging in their cell phones: Ah, the simple life. When you want light, you just flip a switch. So simple. Alas, the idyll begins to sour after a week ( You're not supposed to put nacho cheese in the toaster! ), as the garbage and litter mount up and the pleasures of outdoor peace and quiet, not to mention the ease of just peeing behind a tree rather than having to figure out how to use the toilet and toilet paper, begin to look more and more appealing. In hilarious cartoon illustrations, Chan follows the wild visitors (some of whom are given human 'dos just to make the episode's point a bit more explicit) 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.--John Peters Copyright 2019 Booklist
