Grown-Ups Never Do That

Hypocrisy, thy name is grown-up: that’s what a bunch of kid sleuths discover when they tail the adults in their lives in this picture book from frequent collaborators Cali and Chaud (I Didn’t Do My Homework Because...). As the text offers a litany of all the things that mature people purportedly don’t do (“They never cheat. They never sulk” and so on), the disguise-clad children—who observe their subjects from behind couches, in trees, through an improbable tennis-court trapdoor, and behind many, many bushes—catch grown-ups doing the exact opposite. They speak with their mouths full, blame the dog for a DIY disaster, neglect chores (one character lolls in a hammock and attempts to push a mower with his toes), and—an oldie but goodie—swear up a storm. The recitation of “They never...” may grow a little tiresome for some, but comically elegant, jewel-toned vignettes by Chaud, which detail an entire page of adult klutzes, a cheating chess player, and an amusing four-panel sequence of a father staring at his phone from breakfast to bedtime, hit the mark every time. Ages 5–8. [em](Sept.) [/em]