The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fix Things

This parable's protagonist has elevated indolence to an art form. For years he has rocked on his porch, leafed through books and fished from his boat. When his sadly neglected home finally begins to crumble around him, he makes small repairs in supremely slipshod fashion--chairs are held together with Band-Aids, chipped paint is covered with shoe polish, cracks in the cement walk are plugged with bubble gum. A birthday visit from the man's family comes in the nick of time; the relatives are as industrious as the man is lazy, and his house is quickly put in order. A sunny palette enhances Cymerman's cartoony artwork--his children's book debut--which somewhat calls to mind Norman Rockwell with a zany edge. The antics of our hero's hyperactive cat are fun to follow, as are his own ridiculous handyman efforts. Youngsters may even pick up on the subtle message in Krasilovsky's ( The First Tulips in Holland ; The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes ) witty, straightforward text: lazy is as lazy does. Ages 5-up. (Apr.)