(3) K-3 Around-the-House History series. Illustrated by John Manders. In this work on the historical evolution of beds, bedrooms, and bedclothes, Lauber begins by presenting sleeping arrangements during the Stone Age (a clan on the ground) and comes full circle with a contemporary family camping out (again on the ground). The cartoonish illustrations depict different styles of beds and homes, and humorously anachronistic speech bubbles add levity to the carefully developed history. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) K-3 Around-the-House History series. Illustrated by John Manders. The dirty truth about our ancestors is revealed in a social history of bathing that explains which cultures embraced personal hygiene and which abstained. The volume simultaneously traces the history of toilets, from Babylon's first flush toilet through Roman multi-seaters to latter-day chamber pots. The cartoonish illustrations, which include some kid-pleasing gross-out moments, reflect the breezy style of the informative text. Bib.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2001

(3) K-3 Around-the-House History series. Illustrated by John Manders. Quirky facts and social history trace human methods of eating and the evolution of table manners from the Stone Age to the present. The straightforward tone of the text contrasts and highlights the exaggeration and goofy humor of the watercolor cartoons. Some pictures speculate on the unknown (how chopsticks were invented); some have dialogue-balloon commentary; all amuse.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges