Phyllis Krasilovsky (1926–2014)

A silly man learns a lesson about procrastination as his house fills up with the dirty dishes he keeps setting aside after supper.

This is one of those books that has been in my family since I was just turning four, and I remember poring over the illustrations again and again, fascinated by the piles of dishes, the pickup truck, and the cute little cat. I'm happy the story still holds up after all this time.

The blurb is wrong. The only person 'startled' by the realization is the man himself; children will easily predict the ending. Still, it's an awfully cute and timeless (wink) premise... and I would have enjoyed this book thoroughly when I was a child.

(I know, because the 'efficiency experts' bits of [b:Cheaper by the Dozen|40669887|Cheaper by the Dozen|Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530288546i/40669887._SY75_.jpg|1925199] were my show more favorite bits, and I reread that book several times....) show less

Despite his standing as one of the great generals in Western history, Prince Eugene of Savoy has long been overshadowed in English-language historiography by his contemporary and ally, John Churchill, duke of Marlborough. While German-language readers can turn to a number of works that detail his long and varied career, the number of studies of Eugene available in English are thin on the ground. In this respect Eugene is fortunate to have a biographer such as Derek McKay, who in this book show more provides a compact yet extensive examination of Eugene's career. Nearly every aspect is addressed, from his military triumphs to his subsequent role as a statesman and his achievements as a book collector and patron of the arts. Though the book is hobbled somewhat by a lack of analysis of the factors involved in Eugene's development as a commander, this is the only notable flaw in what is otherwise a compact and deft study that gives Eugene his due for an English-language audience. show less

A very humorous books that makes the point for elementary school children that they must be responsible for their actions or lack of actions. A man in a shirt and white tie moves into a very nice house but as time goes by he does nothing much but sit in his rocking chair and read or go fishing. Certainly worthy activities but unfortunately his house begins to need care and instead of doing things right he takes short cuts. A picture falls of the wall his lack of foresight or prepartion has show more him hammering a nail with sole of his shoe. He repairs his shoe by ripping off pages from the calendar to stuff up the whole. The action consequently causes him to loose track of his birthday. When chair rung breaks he attempts to fix it with bandages. A creative teacher would certainly enjoy creating writing assignments that could correspond to this laugh out loud book. show less