Clarice Bean, Guess Who's Babysitting? - Hardcover

Child, Lauren

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763613738 ISBN 13: 9780763613730

Publisher: Candlewick, 2001

Synopsis

Lauren Child’s spunky character returns and—as if things could get any livelier in Clarice Bean’s household—Uncle Ted is babysitting!

Uh-oh! Mom and Dad have to go away for a few days and who can they get to babysit? Who would be willing to take on the irrepressible Clarice Bean, her pesky brother Minal Cricket, and the school’s guinea pig, Albert, who’s visiting for spring break? (Not to mention teenage brother Kurt, who abhors daylight; big sis Marcie, who chats on the phone all day; and Grandad, who tends to wander off.) Surprisingly, only Uncle Ted,
firefighter and movie addict, can be persuaded. Will he survive the week? Find out, in Lauren Child’s hilariously original sequel to her award-winning CLARICE BEAN, THAT’S ME.

About this title

Review:

When, for some strange reason, Clarice Bean's parents can't find anyone to babysit for a few days, they must resort to Uncle Ted, a firefighter ("so he wears special pants") who occasionally lassoes lamps and "can get you in a firefighter's carry before you can say 'Uncle Ted put me down!'" All goes well for a day or two, as Clarice Bean's daylight-despising older brother, phone-chatting big sister, accident-prone younger brother, and wandering Grandad, manage to say things like "please and thank you and sorry... and let people share their stuff without grumbling." But then her little brother Minal Cricket lets Albert (the school guinea pig on spring break) out of his hutch, and the fragile family balancing act topples. In no time, Minal is on his way to the emergency room, after an accidental bop on the head with a soccer ball, Grandad has wandered into the neighbor's house to watch the horse races, and the entire fire department shows up in time for Clarice Bean's mom's return.

It's no wonder Clarice Bean and her cool uncle get along "like a house on fire (ha ha)." Quirky and feisty, these two have a way with calamity that readers won't soon forget. Nor will they forget Lauren Child's unusual and tremendously appealing cut-paper and photographic collages. Her text wends its way around the illustrations, spiraling if need be, and growing or shrinking as appropriate. Fans of Lauren Child's Clarice Bean, That's Me will do backflips of joy to see a new title about this precocious girl and her very nutty family. (Ages 6 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Lauren Child attended art school and did "lots of things" before writing and illustrating children’s books. She designed ceramics for children, worked as an artist’s assistant, and created lampshades for her own company. Her first book about Clarice Bean was both a Smarties Bronze Award winner and a "Highly Commended" shortlist title for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal in England.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0763613738
• ISBN 13: 9780763613730
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Child Lauren