DON’T GROWN-UPS EVER HAVE FUN?

Harper must have had some fun imagining what children really think of their busy, boring parents. Enjoying sleeping in, running around in the morning, watching “boring TV,” cleaning up constantly . . . growing up has little appeal when a kid’s life presents so many preferable choices. The children lament, “As soon as they get up, it’s rush, rush, rush. Actually, we like to take it easy. Poor Mom and Dad. Why can’t they be like us?” The three kids attempt to convert their parents to a life of fun and leisure, but will their efforts be successful? Harper’s comic and colorful pen-and-ink-with-watercolor illustrations radiate the positive energy and creativity that children bring to life, dressing up in their parents’ clothes, constructing messy art projects in dad’s previously pristine office, setting up their own beauty spa for mom, and “helping” put away groceries. Harper lets the pictures tell the story here, with text kept at a comfortable minimum. Parents who have had their purse ransacked by the children, permanently lost control of the television remote, and fallen behind in the battle to keep order and control will appreciate the humor and inspiration. Kids will probably enjoy it too. (Picture book. 3-6)