Rex, Adam. Oh No, the Aunts Are Here. Lian Cho, Illus. Chronicle, 05/2023. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $16.99. 978-1-7972-0794-0. GRADES Preschool–3. ADDITIONAL.
A young child and their family are overwhelmed when four aunts arrive on a whirlwind visit. Lots of specifics and exuberant, colorful, cartoonish illustrations capture aunt essentials and the humorous indignities of a home suddenly way too full. Hurly-burly text uses repetition, rhyme, and sheer quantity of words to convey “auntastic” overload. This witty and warm-hearted look at the ups and downs of a passel of disruptive, doting relatives loses focus when the story inexplicably shifts to fantasy. Young readers may question, “What just happened?” Parents and child are brown-skinned. The aunts are racially and gender-expressively diverse, appearing to be Black, brown, white, and Asian.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired