As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(3)
K-3
A frog stonecutter decides to look for a cushy job. He goes, by wishing, from job to job (to job) and is finally satisfied when he transforms himself into a stone...until he encounters another stonecutter! Horowitz lays out his version of a Chinese folktale of comeuppance with a mason's expertise, and his cut-paper, charcoal, and pencil illustrations are built with similar artistry.
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Kevin M. Barry.
In this rhyming retelling of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the lazy, chore-avoiding apprentice invites a sly vampire salesman into the wizard's house to demonstrate a vacuum cleaner. The diabolical machine sucks up the entire house, but the wizard arrives in time to rescue his penitent apprentice. Gray-scale illustrations with touches of color emphasize the creative tale's wild action. An author's note about retellings is appended.
32 pp.
| HarperCollins/Harper
| September, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-06-235598-0$17.99
(4)
K-3
Dave the dog sleeps a lot, but he has amazing adventures while sleepwalking. From winning contests to tightrope-walking to heroically thwarting a robbery, Dave would impress his owner--if only she knew what happens when she leaves for school. Pencil, paint, chalk, and digital illustrations are pleasantly childlike, though the unremarkable story plays out predictably.
40 pp.
| Roaring Brook
| April, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-1-62672-132-6$17.99
|
PaperISBN 978-1-62672-132-6$8.99
(4)
K-3
Kokí hates doing work, but when he is caught in a flood and transformed into a frog, the only way to turn back into a child is to help the frog village with chores. Rodriguez's slick, cartoony illustrations are filled with bold colors and humorous details (such as "piratas," who are actually rats), but the heavy-handed moral weakens this Spanish-language tale.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Kate Slater.
This classic tale usually ends with a comeuppance: the lazy animals get not a morsel of food because they didn't help the hen make the bread. In this retelling, they're given a second chance, and at book's end everyone is noshing. The writing is bland, but the collage art gives the familiar scenes dimension and depth. A bread recipe is appended.
24 pp.
| Whitman
| March, 2013
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8075-4400-6$15.99
(3)
PS
Illustrated by
Andrew Weldon.
"This is my cow, / she's called Daisy. / She should eat grass, / but she's too lazy." Daisy is one of four prima donna farm animals (she's spoon-fed jelly) indulged by the narrator, an amiable, unseen farmer. The cartoony illustrations of the preening animals, including "busy" dancing chicken Lizzie, who wears purple underpants, are as funny as the premise.
48 pp.
| Houghton
| March, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-547-37018-7$8.99 New ed. (1973, Seabury)
(2)
K-3
Folk Tale Classic series.
These four books (more to come) appear in a uniform paper-over-board edition. Galdone was a refreshingly modest illustrator: his retellings are straightforward and his unassumingly loose-lined, color-separated pictures provide just enough embellishment, as when the lazy cat in The Little Red Hen lolls on the couch, dreaming of sardines. Plenty of white space gives the stories all the room they need. Review covers these titles: The Little Red Hen, The Three Bears, Three Little Kittens, and The Three Little Pigs.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
December, 1973
56 pp.
| Harcourt
| April, 2011
|
TradeISBN 978-0-15-206432-7$16.99
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Janet Stevens.
With a stack of papers to grade, Little Red Pen calls for help from her friends the stapler, scissors, eraser, etc.; their excuses quickly mount up. After Little Red falls into the trashcan, though, the lazy office supplies rescue her. This rollicking read-aloud, with humor-filled watercolors, includes enough plays on words to keep even the most jaded reader chortling.
Reviewer: Robin L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2011
(3)
PS
When a purple cat, gray rat, and green frog repeatedly refuse to help her make a cake, Red Hen does it herself. Humor and repetition in the text ("'Not I,' said the cat. 'Not I,' said the rat. 'Bribbit,' said the frog") is mirrored in the graphically playful placement of small speckled chicks, mixing bowls, and multiple tiers of the ambitious confection.
32 pp.
| Godine
| December, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-1-56792-393-3$16.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jane Marinksy.
Disgusted by her daughter's laziness and vanity, a sorceress gives her the face of a goat--unbeknownst to the young woman as she tries to woo Prince Rupert. It's a meaty, amusing plot, and the winking anachronistic jokes (e.g., the sorceress is shown reading a book called Child Rearing) add to the humor.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Charles Robinson.
In this sentimental Caribbean-set fantasy, lonely cow Floramel and lazy bird Esteban become friends through a shared interest in music. Esteban helps his friend realize her dream, and Floramel's surprise success makes her a "national treasure." The volume is text-heavy, but expressive black-and-white art also gives the animals great character through minimal line strokes and careful crosshatching.
281 pp.
| Bloomsbury
| April, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-1-59990-198-5$14.99
(4)
4-6
Mythic Misadventures series.
In their third story, ancient Grecians Pandora, Iole, Alcie, and Homer go on another totally cool quest. They've already tackled Jealousy and Vanity; this time it's Laziness. Pandy and her friends try to stay one step ahead of Hera while rectifying an awful mistake. The self-consciously cheeky romp liberally applies teen slang (sometimes forced) and girl-power bonding to ancient Greek adventure.
32 pp.
| Charlesbridge
| July, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-1-58089-236-0$14.95
(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Rosalinde Bonnet.
The little red elf is used to doing everything herself while her friends the reindeer, the penguin, and the hare laze around. On Christmas morning, however, everyone is more than eager to assist in opening presents. Bonnet's cuddly illustrations give an extra-festive boost to McGrath's already spirited version of a familiar tale; the little red hen herself makes a cameo appearance.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2009
32 pp.
| Accord
| August, 2009
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7407-8429-3$14.99
(4)
K-3
"Flannery McKracken does not wake early (excluding weekends, holidays, vacation days, and other non-school days)." Therefore her parents have to come up with creative--and increasingly preposterous--ways to motivate her. These include a cannon, elephant-and-rhino team, and the "ChildVac Pro Grooming Model II." Tidy illustrations that look like crayon have more kid-appeal than does the story's parent-centered premise.
32 pp.
| New Mexico
| May, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8263-4331-4$18.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Murv Jacob.
During a drought, Ji-Stu, the rabbit trickster, is discovered to be stealing water from the well he refused to help dig. The other animals set a sticky trap for the lazy trickster in the form of a wolf made of pine pitch. This well-told Cherokee tar baby story is paired with pleasing white-outlined earth-tone illustrations.
32 pp.
| Holiday
| September, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8234-2120-6$16.95
(2)
K-3
Christmas Eve is no night for slackers, and who's the laziest do-nothing in the workshop? Santa, here a callow youth. It's up to his dogged assistant Rodney to motivate young Santa to become the industrious legend he is today. Sitcom-savvy kids will enjoy Kelley's cheeky send-up of holiday sloth, expertly helped along by illustrations of Christmas in chaos.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2008
32 pp.
| Abrams
| October, 2008
|
TradeISBN 978-0-8109-7027-4$16.95
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
G. Brian Karas.
An indignant girl launches an inquiry, complete with investigative journalism conducted in Central Park, to answer the question: "Why don't more babies work?" Adults may find this cute, but children might be skeptical: what real kid finds babies' unproductivity confounding? Karas's illustrations, full of urban sophisticates, also manage to work in the main character's experiences as a city kid.
32 pp.
| Farrar
| April, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-374-36308-6$17.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Leonard Everett Fisher.
Don't be fooled by the title, which suggests a sequel: this is a straightforward (if wordy) retelling of Washington Irving's classic cautionary tale about the dangers of lazing one's life away (although Kimmel does give Rip the opportunity to redeem himself). The accompanying paintings, with key characters and objects smartly outlined in black, are historically accurate.
32 pp.
| Clarion
| September, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-618-33955-8$16.00
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
John Manders.
Inspired by traditional Irish folklore, Murphy's original story tells of Fergus O'Mara, a lazy, fun-loving lad who encounters a Night-Demon. The gouache and colored-pencil illustrations depict both Fergus and the demon as caricatures, which detracts somewhat from the story. But the tale's a lively one, with clever Fergus repeatedly besting the monster, and it's a good choice for reading aloud.
40 pp.
| Clarion
| July, 2006
|
TradeISBN 0-618-36959-7$16.00
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jacqueline M. Cohen.
The village tinker tricks lazy Shlemazel into believing an old spoon will bring luck. But it's the work Shlemazel does with the spoon that leads to life's sweetest rewards--a worthwhile job and marriage to a good woman. Colorful folkloric illustrations tilt and swing across the page, perfectly complementing the well-told tale. An author's note describes the story's origin. Glos.