Review by Booklist Review
The wonderful chaos of a family of nine, busy at work and play in a creaky old house, comes to a sudden halt when a doorknob falls off the front door. Oh my goodness! What will they do? Well, it simply looks like it needs a screw. But as the family soon finds out, that quick fix isn't quite right, and before long, everyone is busy trying out new knobs and new doors and even sketching out plans to redo the whole place: Knock that closet. Add three feet.'/ How about a window seat?' When the family finally takes a breather, it discovers that littlest Lizzie, in her own inimitable way, has discovered the perfect solution. Gleefully rhyming text and freewheeling double-page art, in watercolor with ink-line details, convey the warm, happy goofiness of a special family that comes apart and then pulls together. The pictures are a tad too small and hectic for group sharing, but it will become a favorite lapshare.--Zvirin, Stephanie Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1-A boy in a family of nine lovingly describes their creaky old house. The favorite oak tree, the handmade drawings on the wall, the quiet window seat, the frayed rug, the claw-foot tub, the trapdoor, and the banister that is ideal for sliding down more than make up for the cracks, chips, leaky roof, and sloping floors. When the front doorknob suddenly falls off in Pa's hands, a simple repair job almost turns into a major renovation project. While the family members all get caught up with their big ideas and elaborate plans, baby sister Lizzie simply fixes the doorknob. And everyone is relieved to discover that they really love their house just the way it is. The clever, rhyming text bounces along with a perfect cadence. The ink, watercolor, and pencil illustrations enhance the telling, and readers will take great pleasure in poring over the many amusing details, especially those that foreshadow the satisfying ending.-Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
It might not be the perfect house"windows drafty, shutters peeling. / There's a crack across the ceiling. / Paint's a little chipped and faded. / Might say it's dilapidated"but the family of nine living here couldn't be happieruntil a doorknob falls off.Finding a screw to replace this fixture fails, so the group (plus their big shaggy dog) sets off for the hardware store. A series of setbacks leads to shopping for a new doorknob, then a door and finally the decision to remodel the entire house. Before the complete home makeover is underway, however, Little Lizzie intervenes with her pacifier. Each line adds a layer of rich storytelling. Several passages describe the objects of the shed, hardware store and Dorothy's Door Emporium (doors ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime). Chesworth's vibrant and detailed illustrations, including a double-page cross-section of the house, invite lingering and revisiting. This ramshackle mess of an abode has real character and happily contains its frolicking family. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
