Hogg spins a tale from the titular expression, casting a slothful family that intimidates its feline member into providing firewood, food and entertainment. Having discovered that pointed allusions to kitty-fur slippers and a catskin quilt send the cat scuttling out into the snowy woods to fetch a sledful of firewood, the Lazybones keep up the threats until the frantic puss has also dragged in chow, toys and piles of cash. Wohnoutka mixes milieus in his comic country scenes, setting the Lazybones down in a rustic log cabin, but surrounding them, ultimately, with empty pizza and Chinese takeout boxes, along with Twister, Mr. Potato Head and like amusements. The exploitation comes to an abrupt end, though, when Kitty makes one final entrance—dragging in an angry logger, several peeved merchants, a banker and a police officer. Readers weary of endless variations on “Little Red Hen” might give this a try. (Picture book. 6-8)
