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Roger Sutton, editor in chief of The Horn Book, recommends The House Takes a Vacation on his blog “Read Roger.”

The House Takes a Vacation
ISBN 0761453318 • 32 pages
$16.99• Ages 4–8
Cavendish Children’s Books

After the Petersons leave for vacation, their house decides it wants to take a holiday, too! But the different parts of the house can’t agree on where to go. Finally, the sunporch suggests that the house go to the beach. The basement refuses “to rise to the occasion,” but the rest of the house follows the front door as it leads the way—and the house has a vacation that it will never forget!

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Editorial Reviews

After the vacation-bound Petersons drive away from their house, the bedroom windows raise the question, "Where shall we go?" The gung-ho front door is open to anything (I'll lead the way!"), but it's the wistful sun porch's wish to see sunlight on the ocean that sways the reluctant roof and chimney. Leaving the basement behind (it "refused to rise to the occasion"), the house heads for the beach. Davies's kooky premise and characters are brought to life in White's spirited oil-paint and colored-pencil illustrations. The house gets around on impossibly thin legs; each participating house-part sports a mouth and two expressivley browed eyes, enhancing their different personalities. Oddball scenes, such as the peripatetic house stuck in a traffic jam (the Petersons are visible a few cars ahead), ably support the pun-filled text. Some of the wordplay may not register with young readers (as when the roof says, "I feel like I've got shingles"), but that doesn't detract from the story's absurd humor. Kids will undoubtedly be aware of the visual joke in the art: on the couple of occasions when the house crosses paths with the Petersons, only the daughter notices. After an adventure-filled trip (which includes being swept out to sea), the worn-out house trudges back, um, home. The family returns moments later, looking a lot more rested than their water-logged abode...and, except for the daughter, a lot more confused.—K.F. The Horn Book Magazine, May/June 2007

Gr 1-3—When the Petersons go on vacation, their house decides to take one, too. After some discussion, the windows, roof, front door, and sun porch agree to go to the beach, though the chimney complains in a smoky voice, "Travel is a pain in the bricks." As the house walks away on spindly legs, the basement stays put: "'You're such a stick-in-the-mud,' said the roof, but the basement refused to rise to the occasion." When it finally reaches the sea, it stays to watch the "Dance of the Sunlight" as the sun rises over the water. "Can't top that," says the roof. Puns are plentiful as the house takes a swim in the ocean and then goes home, arriving just before the Petersons do. "What happened?" the family wonders, as their bedraggled residence, seaweed hanging from its roof, starts to plan another vacation for next year. This slight story is memorable mainly for its play on words. The large oil and colored-pencil illustrations blend vivid colors and flowing shapes to create an impressionistic mood. The different parts of the barn-red dwelling have facial features (eyes, eyebrows, and mouths) that suggest distinct personalities. The beach scenes mix a foam-green ocean with dazzling blue skies. Humorous visual details abound, echoing the tale's silly fun. The text is not long but it is somewhat sophisticated in its humor. —Judith Contstantinides, School Library Journal, May 2007

Housemoving takes on new meaning in this offbeat tale. When the Petersons leave for a vacation, their house decides to go on holiday too. Each part of the house has his/her own notion of where to go, but they finally agree on seeing the sea. The long trip is arduous, but the dawn of sunlight and the lure of the water provide a thrilling adventure, as the house sets sail and then returns home with a satisfying memory, startling the family with its waterlogged condition. Oil-and-colored pencil illustrations create hazy, molded background scenes that contrast sharply wth the bright red house with black stick feet and google-eyed faces on the various parts. The pun-loaded dialogue is really adult humor: The chimney complains, "I feel like I've got the flue," while the bedroom windows creak, "Oh! The pane!" and the roof grumbles, "Man, am I sore. I feel like I've got shingles." Nevertheless, kids will enjoy the silliness and animated house sections. (Picture book. 4-8) —Kirkus Review, February 15, 2007