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ALPHONSE, THERE'S MUD ON THE CEILING! by Daisy Hirst

ALPHONSE, THERE'S MUD ON THE CEILING!

by Daisy Hirst ; illustrated by Daisy Hirst

Pub Date: May 5th, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1117-7
Publisher: Candlewick

Alphonse and Natalie, the lovable, active preschool monster siblings from Alphonse, That Is Not OK To Do! (2016) and I Do Not Like Books Anymore! (2018), are back with a way to enjoy nature and the outdoors from their seventh-floor apartment.

Playing indoors can be fun for the children if they use their imagination. They can drive their bunk bed, tumble in the hallway, and hide behind the big green chair and then leap out with a “Raaaar!” But when they play wiggly worms all over the small apartment and start to bump and upset things like Dad’s coffee, then: “NATALIEALPHONSE, that is not a good game for indoors!” The kids begin to bemoan the fact that, unlike their friend Elfrida, who has a backyard with a tent for sleeping, they have no backyard space, and so Natalie declares, “I’m going to live in the park.” Ever patient and supportive Dad agrees, and they all go out to “have an expedition.” After exploring and living under a bush for a while, they collect some sticks and head back to the apartment, with sticks to build a tent on the balcony. Bold, bright colors against white space depict the familiarly fiendish family’s third installment in a very familiar scenario, one that offers gentle guidance to caregivers as well as affirmation and inspiration to children.

Imaginative play leads to inventive solutions in this sweet sibling tale.

(Picture book. 3-6)