One of my children brought this home from the library and all of us were quickly convulsed with laughter. We had often joked with our kids about the “real reasons” that we asked them to do things, but David Wisniewski did a much better job of expanding and illustrating these types of fantasies. I decided to buy two–one for each of my office waiting rooms. However, my kids could not bear to part with one copy so I got three. Some of Mr. Wisniewski’s scenarios get mentioned regularly around our dinner table, “Eat your vegetables so they won’t eat you–I think I see a claw coming out from your salad!”

Sometimes I use this book to illustrate more serious issues. Conflicting agendas: When a family has a problem, the parents and the children often define the problem differently and have different hopes for the outcome. Power differences: Young children may see adults as having secret information and mysterious conversations behind closed doors. This book helps parents and kids look at these issues gently and laugh about them. This may soften the way toward discussing a family’s conflicts and differing points of view.