The Man Who Was Too Lazy to Fix Things

by Phyllis Krasilovsky, John Emil Cymerman (Illustrator)

A man tries to take shortcuts in making the badly needed repairs to his aging house but finds himself in a worse situation than before

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

About the author

Best known for her picture books, although also the author of two young adult novels and numerous magazine and newspaper articles, some of them humorous. Krasilovsky's first two books were accepted for publication when she was nineteen and newly married. Both of them were written in response to real children. The Very Little Girl (1953) was originally a birthday card for her sister's child, and The Man Who Didn't Wash His Dishes (1950), a humorous cautionary tale illustrated by Barbara Cooney, was written for her husband's five- year-old cousin who was dying of leukemia. The Cow Who Fell in the Canal (1957), illustrated by Peter Spier, was inspired by an incident observed while bicycling through Holland. Other books were inspired by her four children and memories of her own childhood. She wrote four more Man books, and finally one about The Woman Who Saved Things (1993). One of Krasilovsky's favorite books was The Shy Little Girl (1970), based on one of her own daughters, and sensitively illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. Her two young adult novels, The Popular Girls Club (1972) and L.C. Is the Greatest (1975), were based on her own experiences growing up in Brooklyn.

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Reviews

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay story of a man who's house is falling down around his ears because he doesn't want to go to the trouble of repairing things when they break. I really thought it telling how he got everything fixed by "directing" his brother's family to do it for him when they came to celebrate his birthday.

Illustrations are okay.