cover image Animals Home Alone

Animals Home Alone

Loes Riphagen, Seven Footer Kids (IPG, dist.), $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-934734-55-1

In this near-wordless story, first published in the Netherlands, chaos erupts among household "pets" once the humans are out of sight: the dog tries on mismatched shoes, a bear steps out of a hanging picture, cockroaches splash toilet water on the cat, and a yellow elephant drawing comes to life to woo a stringy-haired bunny. When father and daughter reappear, there's a mad rush to restore order—mostly. Appended questions ("Why does the piggy have a stomachache?") encourage readers to trace how each event unfolds. Though the scenery never changes, the animals' mini-narratives and (sometimes inscrutable) behaviors should have kids flipping forward and back again and again. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)