ANNOTATION

After his father tells him that things will change when mother comes home from the hospital, Joseph notices that the tea kettle has become a cat and that the armchair has been transformed into a gorilla as he wonders what his father means.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Joseph's mother comes home, says his father, things are going to change. And almost at once they do - in the weirdest of ways . . .

FROM THE CRITICS

Horn Book

A fascinating picture book.

Parents

Changes deals with the effect the arrival of a new baby has on an older child. . . Clever and very unusual.

Publishers Weekly

``On Thursday morning at a quarter past ten, Joseph Kaye noticed something strange about the kettle,'' reads the intriguing first line of this imaginative picture book. Joseph's father tells his son that ``things were going to change,'' and Joseph watches as the teakettleok turns into a striped cat, the spout of the sink becomes a nose, a soccer ball loses its spots and hatches a bird. Without alarming the reader, Browne ( Willy the Wimp ; Gorilla ) continues the ominous--and humorous--panorama of changes until Joseph's parents return and introduce him to the change his father meant in the first place: his new baby sister. In less skilled hands, the simple device of the transformation of ordinary objects might grow tiresome, but youngsters have learned to expect the unexpected from Browne, and will not be disappointed as Joseph's anxieties are resolved satisfyingly. Browne's illustrations are witty and distinctive, and observant readers will especially enjoy Browne's sly allusions to popular culture and famous works of art. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Picture Book REPRINTS A father tells his son that "things [are] going to change," as the boy watches the teakettle turn into a striped cat, the spout of the sink become a nose, and a soccer ball lose its spots and hatch a bird. PW called Browne's illustrations "witty and distinctive." Ages 3-6. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-- A multilayered tale of the effects of a young boy's imagination. Joseph Kaye is left home alone while his father picks up his mother. Before he leaves, he tells Joseph that things are ``going to change.'' At a quarter past ten, Joseph notices that the teakettle slowly metamorphoses into a cat; a slipper becomes a bird. The bathroom sink takes on human qualities: a pants leg, lips, nose. And so it continues throughout the house and the yard where the garden hose becomes an elephant's trunk and Joseph's bicycle wheel becomes an apple. Finally Joseph retreats to the darkness of his room until his parents appear--with his new baby sister. A fantasy strongly reminiscent of The Tunnel (Knopf, 1989), this book does not have the overt humor of Piggybook (Knopf, 1986) or the ``Willy'' books (Random). Although a provocative and intriguing concept that is beautifully and skillfully illustrated, its very visual premise limits its use. Without the guidance of an adult, many young readers, while still delighting in the pictorial alterations , might miss the point of these changes and, thus, the story completely. And most youngsters will not recognize the references to famous works of art or the many other small, pointed details that foreshadow the action. Although many children may be held at a distance by a lack of understanding, this is still an exciting and thought-provoking book. Devoted fans of Browne's work as well as larger collections that appeal to a wide range of esoteric tastes will find a place for it. --Jane Marino, White Plains Public Library, NY