Let George Do It!

Teaming Big George with the deft and funny hand of Ms. Manushkin was inspired. For once celeb book that's actually funny and worth a spot on the shelf. Clever, jolly, and something kids actually like!

Foreman's been a world champ and he's lent his name to a successful line of grills. He's also lent (actually given) his name to a successful line of sons. I'm sure that Fran Manushkin, a children's book author with her own successful line of books and whose name you find on the title page and back flap, had more to do with writing this book than the boxing champ, but nonetheless, in one way or another, they've concocted a terrific story about a bizarre family of father and sons with the name George. The illustrator, Whitney Martin, has cleverly inserted portraits of Georges all over the house for sharp kids to discover. The level of the writing and the humor of the story make it perfect for read aloud sessions. Celebrity books are usually sad affairs, but Miss Manushkin's great skills and George Foreman's family story make for a delightful combination.

At last, a celeb book with a true sense of humor. I'm as tired of celeb publishing as the next one, but this book made me laugh out loud, and kids "get" the joke of all those Georges running around getting things done - and redone (the baby keeps getting bathed). It would take a real Scrooge to downplay this delightful romp, with its funny text and hilarious illustrations..

Let George Do It! George Foreman and Fran Manushkin, illus. by Whitney Martin. S & S, $15.95 (32p) ISBN 0-689-87807-9 The truth-that the two-time heavyweight champ and grill shrill has five sons all named George-makes for some silly fiction in Foreman's first book for kids, coauthored with Manushkin (Baby, Come Out!). When all the boys in the family share the same name as their dad, there's bound to be confusion. The fun begins when Mom (aka Mrs. George) asks her sons to help arrange a birthday party for their papa, Big George. Tasks get done, undone and redone as the various Georges backtrack or cover the same ground as their brothers. And poor baby George-who can't really protest-ends up with more than his fair share of baths in the process. Though there's not much of a story here, youngsters will find plenty of laughs in the premise. And there's a lot to see in debut illustrator Martin's high-energy watercolors, too. The Foreman household brims with comic details: pictures of famous Georges-Washington, Orwell, Burns, Harrison-adorn the walls; the kids consult a George Foreman cookbook and Big George, who wears a belt buckle labeled "The Champ," is appropriately larger than life. Ages 4-8. (May)

What an adorable book about a very unusual family! Great for everyone -- and since it has a birthday theme, it makes a great birthday present.