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With one pesky younger brother who hangs upside down until he turns a funny color, an older brother in the "dark tunnel of adolescence," and a boy-crazy sister who won't notice her except to tell her to go away, Clarice Bean has her hands full. All she wants is a little peace and quiet. Her mother retreats to the bathtub with candles and language tapes, her father scoots off to his big fancy offic... More

With one pesky younger brother who hangs upside down until he turns a funny color, an older brother in the "dark tunnel of adolescence," and a boy-crazy sister who won't notice her except to tell her to go away, Clarice Bean has her hands full. All she wants is a little peace and quiet. Her mother retreats to the bathtub with candles and language tapes, her father scoots off to his big fancy office, and Grandad spends all his time asleep with a cat on his head. Clarice, reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise, plays her dry wickedness to the hilt in this hilarious look at family chaos.

Lauren Child's wacky, wonderful book is full of boisterous color and scattered text. Clarice Bean's family members lurk in doorways, flick noses, and throw up their hands in dismay, all with equal measures of melodrama. With big words for big thoughts, sideways lines for sideways ideas, and a curly, flowery font for Mom's pronouncements ("No flicking noses with rulers," she says, although celery is acceptable), Child gleefully tosses proper book-writing standards straight out the window. Young readers, especially those with vexing relatives, will shout with joy when they find this gem. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1999 by Lauren Child. With permission of Candlewick Press and Orchard Books, UK.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

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