Rules of the House by Mac Barnett and Matt Myers
Published: Disney Hyperion, 2016
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Ian follows the rules and his older sister Jenny likes to break them. They’re usually at odds, but when their vacation home attacks, the bickering siblings may have to break the rules to survive.
Conflict is often missing from modern picture books, but Rules of the House revels in it. The resulting book may not present the prettiest image of brother and sister relations, but it’s real, entertaining, and inspires a few chuckles. Quick asides, like Ian’s critical opinion of the villains’ song, are welcome winks at older readers. When the fantastical elements are introduced, the house’s monsters are both whimsical and threatening.
Myers’ artwork has the painterly brushstrokes so adored by New York publishing over the last decade and it supports the story well. Myers knows when to include every detail of a scene and when to drop out the background so the characters shine. Though much of the story is in shadow, his saturated colors pop.
Sometimes rules have to be broken in desperate situations, especially when it brings brothers and sisters together. Rules of the House is a beautiful book with a clever and quirky narration.