The Pig Is in the Pantry, the Cat Is on the Shelf - Hardcover

Jennifer Plecas has illustrated many popular books for children, including, for Clarion, SNOWY DAY! by Barbara M. Joosse. A graduate of Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, she lives with her family in Blue Springs, Missouri. Shirley Mozelle is also the author of ZACK'S ALLIGATOR and ZACK'S ALLIGATOR GOES TO SCHOOL (both HarperCollins). THE PIG IS ON THE PANTRY, THE CAT IS ON THE SHELF is her first book for Clarion. Ms. Mozelle lives in Jacksonville, Florida, along with Graceson, her Siamese cat, and a cockatiel named Darlin'.

This is a bit of a shaggy-dog tale from Mozelle, where readers are led to believe there ought to be consequences that never come to pass. A gathering of rambunctious farmyard animals occupy a farmer's house when he leaves for the day and forgets to lock the door. They explore around the house, try on clothes, chow down, nap, and trash the place in an offhand and genial fashion. All the while, readers are kept apprised of the farmer's doings and the passing of time is recorded on a grandfather clock. When the farmer finally returns and catches the beasts red-handed, all they get is a stern look and their walking papers. Then the farmer cleans up, takes a bath, and goes to bed. Just so. Before the flat-footed ending, Mozelle loads the story with a menagerie of activities from counting to multiplication to the telling of time, while her beastly menageriedrawn here as two-dimensional, eyes-on-one-side-of-head prankstersgo about their household destruction. A rhythmic text with plenty of animal sounds lends itself to reading aloud, but the story itself is rather pointless. (Picture book. 3-6) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.