Gaspard and Lisa's Rainy Day

This is a beautifully illustrated book that is as enjoyable for the adult to read as it may be for the appropriate aged child. Many of the things that the children in this book do are things that we might not praise, but the whole point of the story is that the kids are trapped inside for an entire week on their vacation due to rain, and they are just being kids, at their wits end with being trapped inside. It's a good opportunity to discuss boredom and the creative impulses that the kids/(they are really dogs) have, but how might they have been able to have fun without causing trouble, etc. I think this book might be appreciated by children around 5 years old. My little daughter of one year wasn't even interested in the illustrations, which is why I brought it home from the library. I knew she was too young for the plot. The centerfold illustration of the kids' haunted house is worth every penny of the price, and of all the Gaspard and Lisa books I have looked at (4), this one is the most clever and beautiful. Read it with your kids.