Better at Twister and board games than at managing finances, Hubert Horatio's socialite parents have little clue that they are fast going from "frightfully, frightfully rich" to bankrupt.

B<> Their son, a child prodigy, secretly begins to charge admission for tours of their mansion, but his parents welcome the visitors with lavish parties; other capital-raising schemes similarly backfire

. Finally, Hubert Horatio convinces his parents to move to a modest apartment building (whose cheerful but tenement-like facade is whimsically depicted in a vertical gatefold).

He discovers, to his surprise, that his parents prefer the snugger quarters and closer-at-hand neighbors. The satire about the frivolous wealthy is less understated than in Hilary Knight's Eloise books, but, as always, there is substantial appeal in Child's doodled, collage-enhanced imagery and arch text. And the clever cover design--with pale-green ornamentation borrowed from a dollar bill--will entice money-obsessed children, while the story within will remind them that many of life's pleasures cannot be purchased.

 Hyperion Books for Children 0786854855 / 9780786854851
Hardcover New New York 

Price: 19.95 USD