All in one piece

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Mr and Mrs Large are getting ready for the office dinner-dance. But with Lester, Laura, Luke and the baby around, they'll be lucky to get out of the house all in one piece.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Five Minutes' Peace delivered into the hands of readers a near-perfect reflection of a family's typically calamitous morning; now the adult elephants are dressing for an evening out, and their well-meaning but high-spirited children won't leave them alone. They stuff Mrs. Large's hosiery with toys, mess with makeup and clatter around in high heels. She, of course, loses her temper, which has the effect of subduing her children. But she inadvertently sits on a paintbox and goes out unaware that her dress is adorned with small bright patches of color. Sharp-eyed readers will spot this development; others will want to go through the story again to find out when it all happened. Five Minutes' Peace fans may not find the antics in this followup quite as funny as its predecessor. But with its resemblance to real life, this continuing saga of the beleaguered Mrs. Large and her boisterous offspring is still a delight. Ages 2-6. (September) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 2 Murphy's second story about the Larges continues the household adventures of an elephant family with four preschool-age children. While Mr. and Mrs. Large get ready for the office dinner dance, the children mess and meddle until the exasperated Mrs. Large shouts, ``Can't I have just one night to myself? One night when I am not covered in jam and poster paint?'' As she walks out the door on the arm of her husband, however, sharp observers will note that although she may have a night out, it is not without decoration. Murphy's ink line and colored pencil renderings of household and elephant details are apt: a child-made picture of Babar hangs in the kitchen; trunks are useful as well as affectionate appendages. Left-hand text is accompanied by small vignettes which contribute to the narrative rather than merely decorate. Told from a mother's point of view like its predecessor, Five Minutes' Peace (Putnam, 1986), the story will definitely appeal to beleaguered parents. But the humor and the joke being on, or all over, Mom will also tickle child readers. Susan Hepler, Windsor Public Library, Conn. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ages 3-5. The elephants Mr. and Mrs. Large and their family from Five Minutes' Peace (Booklist 83:650 D 15 86) are back. An invitation to a dinner party is on the evening's agenda, and Mrs. Large is trying, in vain, to get ready for the big event. Luke plays with his father's shaving cream, Laura clops about in her mother's best shoes, the baby is decorating herself with Mother's makeup, and Lester and Luke are seeing how many toys they can cram into Mother's tights. At last, Mother issues an ultimatum and sends them downstairs. When she joins them the children agree she looks smashing; then, with Granny in charge, the little ones wave off their parents with a minimum of tears. Mrs. Large sighs ``All in one piece,'' to which Mr. Large gallantly replies, ``You'd look wonderful to me, even if you were covered in paint.'' As they walk away, only readers will see the squares of colors that decorate Mrs. Large's skirt a souvenir of the paintbox she inadvertently sat on while saying good-bye to the children. Adults reading this aloud may be more amused than the children, but all will delight in the rich colors, attention to detail, and marvelous faces that Murphy uses to distinguish her oh-so-human elephants. BE. Family life Fiction / Elephants Fiction [CIP] 87-2516