Whenever something goes wrong in this all-female household (consisting of Mother and "four sisters, different sizes"), Mother can count on one thing—a flurry of finger-pointing. Who created havoc in the bedroom? Who turned the bathroom into a water-and-personal-care-products hazard? And what about the board game fracas: "Start to argue, start to fight," writes Ericsson (No Milk!), "Each believing she is right./ Staring, glaring, trading smacks,/ Shrieking, weeping, more attacks." The answer is always, "She did it!" Banished to their room, the sisters decide to redeem themselves in Mom's eyes by cleaning up their mess. Working together as a team clearly helps tie the sisterly bonds a little tighter, too—when Mom admires the girls' handiwork, they proudly embrace one another and shout, "We did it!" Westcott's (Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash) watercolors are typically at their best when depicting bedlam, and this book is no exception—she packs the sisters' scenes with funny details (most of which involve the family's pets, for good or ill), and the nervous energy in her wispy ink lines makes every scene vibrate with comic chaos. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
