SOLVED. Children's Picture book. Parents taken over by imps. Read around 2000. Possible Spoilers ahead. [s]

[Kayla]

I read this book as a kid, so it was probably published sometime before 2000. Two parents (and maybe some of the children in the family) get taken over by some kind of imp/troublesome being and get up to all sorts of rule-breaking/shenanigans. The oldest daughter isn't fooled and knows exactly what's going on, and ultimately banishes the imps by (I think) forcing them to take a bath.

[Kris]

Kayla, did you read this book around 2000?

Can you describe the illustrations - e.g., simple or detailed, realistic or cartoon-like, painted watercolors or bold graphics, light or dark colors? Do they remind you of a similar illustrator or picture book author?

[Kayla]

Kris wrote: "Kayla, did you read this book around 2000?

Can you describe the illustrations - e.g., simple or detailed, realistic or cartoon-like, painted watercolors or bold graphics, light or dark colors? Do ..."


I did probably read it sometime around 2000--I would have been 8 years old in 2000 and it was definitely a book I remember reading as a kid. The illustrations were fairly detailed and if I am remembering right, possibly done in ink and watercolor. They remind me a bit of Patricia Polacco's illustrations in "Thank You, Mr. Falker," though looking at a list of her works, she is not the illustrator of this book. But they used similar colors and had the same style of leaving lots of white space in the background, with very detailed portrayals of the action of the story in the foreground. Also, when the imps took over the parents and other children, the illustrations of those characters were caricaturized--they had more emphasized lips and cheeks, etc.

[Rainbowheart]

Alpha and the Dirty Baby

[Kris]

Note: Kayla says the illustrations are a bit similar to Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco.

[Kris]

Descriptions of Alpha and the Dirty Baby by Brock Cole on Amazon - Rainbowheart's suggestion:

Cole (The Goats; The Giant's Toe) further enhances his standing as a gifted author and illustrator with this boisterous, highly original tale. Sensing an opportunity in a parental spat, two devil's imps turn Alpha's Papa and Mama into a lump of coal and a green egg, respectively. "But an imp is never satisfied with one evil deed when he can do another," so they assume the parents' identities and invade the house. Accompanied by their dirty baby (one of the goofiest-looking infants ever to grace the pages of a picture book), they proceed to turn Alpha's home upside-down. ("Sweep the ashes out of the fire, Alpha. The floor's too clean.") But Alpha, as resourceful as the best fairy tale heroines, bides her time until she sees an opportunity of her own--and seizes it with glorious results. Cole's text is understated and poetic, and his line and wash illustrations--showing limbs flailing helter-skelter--are supremely stimulating, whether depicting Alpha's quiet fortitude or her parents' riotous metamorphoses. Cole's imagination triumphs again. Ages 4-8.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- In this latest offbeat contemporary folktale by Brock Cole, Alpha's quarreling parents are transformed into a lump of coal and an egg by a family of mischievous imps. Being imps, they can't stand cleanliness, so Alpha, who looks to be about seven, is put to work dirtying the floor, the laundry, and the dishes, and bringing the garbage in . However, our heroine is a resourceful lass, and comes up with a scheme to combat the imps and their dirty baby. Story and colorful cartoon illustrations are equally engaging. The setting is turn-of-the-century small-town America, with lots of entertaining background details. Even the (human) family's flock of chickens is worth watching, forming as they do a sort of manic Greek chorus to the main action. A fast-paced, humorous fable on the perils of squabbling, starring a sturdy little girl armed against the powers of mischief with a bar of soap, this would be an enjoyable read-aloud or -alone.

[Kayla]

Alpha and the Dirty Baby is it! Thank you so much!

[Rainbowheart]

Awesome, glad to help out!