Elmer Blunt's Open House — Matt Novak

Publisher's Weekly (Starred Review)A dozen straightforward sentences--and page after page crowded with panels of uproariously funny pictures--tell the diverting tale of what happens when Elmer Blunt leaves his door ajar one day. First, eight animals wander in and make themselves at home--creating a merry mess in the process. The next visitor, a masked robber with a wonderfully wicked grin, fills his sack with unlikely booty (including a roll of toilet paper) before entering the bedroom, where the frightened menagerie is huddled in the closet. ''Furs!'' he exclaims, misjudging the animals, who (draped with articles of clothing) then chase the intruder downstairs ''and out the door, slamming it behind him.'' Though this rollicking slapstick would have been enough to make kids howl with laughter, there's more: when the intruders find they can't leave the house, they hide under the bed while an oblivious Elmer cleans up, and at last escape out the window as he sleeps ''in his safe, quiet home.'' Since Novak's ( While the Shepherd Slept ) gleeful, high-spirited art tells the story so adeptly, this is a great one for preschoolers to ''read'' solo. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) Kirkus ReviewsAfter oversleeping, Elmer hurries off to work, leaving his door open. In troop eight wild creatures, led by a cautious but curious mouse. Wide-eyed but increasingly gleeful, they explore the wonders within: the bear curls up in the oven; the rabbits share headphones; the skunk cavorts with the toilet paper; they all share the tub. Hearing a burglar, they hide, but he finds them and scoots, trapping them with a slammed door; with Elmer's return they hide again, escaping only after he's asleep. Telling the story almost without words, Novak uses frames of varying sizes and shapes with a skill and visual humor that recall Briggs's Father Christmas (1973). His sturdy, ebullient creatures are splendidly expressive; the comical details of their antics are delightful. (Picture book. 3-8)