Great, now we've got barbarians! by Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by Mark Fearing

Eaton, author of the sweet and silly How to train a train pairs of up with wacky Mark Fearing, illustrator of favorites like How Martha saved her parents from green beans and The book that eats people to bring us a wonderfully wacky tale about the importance of cleaning up after yourself.

What do a few cupcake crumbs in bed matter? Wonders a small boy, as his mom and sister look with disgust at his messy room, scattered with toys, clothes, and leftover food. Pests? Ants, flies, and mice could be fun! "But the next day..." they've got a very unusual pest. "His name was Vlad, and he demanded an entire cupcake." The boy thinks this could be fun, but as more and more barbarians show up, it turns into a full-scale invasion and it's not so fun anymore! Even the exterminator can't do anything. The boy realizes there's only one thing to do: Clean up. The problem is solved...until he spills some water and then....

This is awesome. I can't wait to read it, with plenty of expression and silly voices, to kids on my class visits. It's got that perfect tongue-in-cheek humor that will make both first graders and adults snicker at the same time. Fearing's silly-gross illustrations show a delightful variety of gruesome barbarians and parents will find the perfect tagline "clean up or we'll get barbarians!" to talk their kids into laughing and being a little more tidy.

Verdict: Preorder now. Awesomeness awaits.

ISBN: 9780763668273; Published 2017 by Candlewick; Uncorrected proof provided by publisher at BEA; Purchased for the library