The Great Indoors

Humans head to the outdoors to get away from it all—why shouldn’t forest animals recharge their batteries by doing the exact opposite? That’s the perfectly reasonable explanation for a bunch of critters surreptitiously turning a house into vacation central while its human owners are away. This is the real “simple life”: a roof over their heads, a big-screen TV, a kitchen (the beavers cook lasagna and bring lots of ice cream), and great phone reception. “The most relaxing week of the year” says a blissed-out mother bear. But every vacation eventually runs out of steam (“I miss peeing behind a tree,” a skunk says; “Who keeps licking the butter?” a beaver asks) and the group decamps, leaving behind a house that’s definitely worse for the wear and promising to rendezvous at the same time next year. Cartooning by Chan (Georgie’s Best Bad Day) has a naive goofiness that nails the void-the-warranty spirit of time off, while Falatko (the Snappsy the Alligator series) effectively voices both deadpan narrator (“As the days went by, things got less than perfect”) and leisure-obsessed animals: “Good-bye, peace and quiet!” “Hello, dance party!” Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Danielle Smith, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. [em](Apr.) [/em]