As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
To continue you need an active subscription to hbook.com.
Subscribe now to gain immediate access to everything hbook.com has to offer, as well as our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database, which contains tens of thousands of short, critical reviews of books published in the United States for young people.
Thank you for registering. To have the latest stories delivered to your inbox, select as many free newsletters as you like below.
No thanks. Return to article
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Johanna van der Sterre.
When a chores-fatigued boy asks the titular question, his mom describes his grandmother's identical lament. Her mom responded with a similar story, and back through the generations (the boy's distant ancestor complains, "Me already clean cave!...Why me have to make bed?"). This somewhat labored history lesson features art that drolly re-creates the chosen time periods.