BlooMSBury No Trouble At All

When Grandfather bear has his two little grandchildren to stay he is sure that they are going to be very good indeed. No trouble at all in fact. So he tucks them up in bed, goes downstairs to read his book and even feels so proud of his ideally behaved grandchildren that he plans to take them on a picnic the next day. But as we all know, love is blind, and in this grandfathers case, deaf as well! A brilliant picture book that will entertain and amuse old and young alike as words and pictures do not always tell the same story. Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review Good graces and seeming obliviousness: they're two traits that all grandparents (human or otherwise) almost certainly share, and British author Sally Grindley knows it. No Trouble at All further documents the intergenerational phenomenon, following the antics of two bear cubs who're staying the night with an older relative--and who are supposed to be asleep in bed. "They're such good little bears when they come to stay. / I just have to say it's time for bed, and off they go, as good as gold." Or do they? With playful, homey watercolors, illustrator Eleanor Taylor shows us all the late-night goings-on in this split-level tree house, as the wee bears proceed to have pillow fights, get into the honey and jam, and sneak outside. All the while, the older bear just sips tea and reads, cleverly letting us know that not all their mischief goes unnoticed. ("I guess I didn't close the door properly. Silly of me.") (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. From Publishers Weekly Two little bears outfox their grandfather in Grindley's (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, reviewed Apr. 1) sly offering. "Shhh! They're fast asleep. Don't wake them up," says the grandfather bear to his cat companion. "They're such good little bears when they come to stay. When I was their age I was full of mischief." But it's soon clear to readers that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Taylor, in her American debut, reveals the cubs' true nature in comical full-bleed watercolors. Paired with the grandfather's blissfully naive comments, they're all the more entertaining. "These old houses are full of strange noises," he says as the little ones engage in a pillow fight. "I'd better just check those little bears aren't frightened." When the cubs sneak outside and leave the door ajar, he says, "I guess I didn't close the door properly. Silly of me." The duo sees their chance to dart back inside and up to bed when the big bear goes to fetch a picnic basket from the shed: "They deserve a treat, those little bears. They're absolutely no trouble. No trouble at all." The premise may be well-worn, but the poker-faced text plays straight man to Taylor's charming artwork. Her illustrations of the impish cubs in a cozy tree dwelling make clear that the ursine siblings mean no harm. Ages 2-up. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.