“Great, Now We’ve Got Barbarians”

Every parent has told every child to “Clean up your room.”  In the case of the young boy, whose room is covered with food crumbs, candy wrappers, etc., the plea to clean up your room should be followed with “or we will be infested with ants.”  Ants, flies, mice are the the least of this young boy’s problem.

In Jason Carter Eaton’s very funny new book “Great, Now We’ve Got Barbarians” small, snack-eating pests are soon followed by huge snack-eating barbarians.  At first, of course, there was only one barbarian, but where there is one barbarian, there are many to follow.

The young boy thinks he has the problem under control, but, of course, he does not.  Nothing is off-limits to these creatures and soon his life is out of control.  Every attempt to contain these beasts–traps, scarebarians and even an exterminator don’t work.There was only one solution left.  The young boy must clean up every crumb, snack and sticky candy wrapper he had left around the house.

This cautionary tale will appeal to all young readers.  Mark Fearing’s vivid, cartoon-like drawings add to the mayhem created by the invading barbarians.  And of course, just when things seem to be settling down for the young boy and his family, he leaves the water running in the bathtub, which leads to PIRATES.