WHAT ON EARTH...?
by Hazel Townson & illustrated by Mary Rees
In the tradition of Burningham's Come Away from the Water, Shirley (1977), Dad complains about Laura's uproarious behavior, pictured on left-hand pages, while her parallel imaginary adventures are shown on the right: deep-sea diving, riding a magic carpet, scaling a mountain, etc. In a neat reversal, returning Mom blames Dad for the mess, while Laura's last adventure just may be for real. Neither as subtle nor as neatly structured as Burningham's book, but Rees has an agile, witty pen and kids are sure to enjoy the mayhem. (Picture book. 4-8)