PB Planet Retro Review--Barbapapa's New House

PB Planet is proud to present its first Retro Review--Barbapapa's New House by Annette Tison and Talus Taylor (Scholastic Book Services, 1978). This installment of the Barbapapa series finds the Barbapapas--peaceful, eco-friendly, technicolor shape-changing blob-beings--in need of a larger residence to hold their growing family. (As this title is OOP, a full synopsis follows.) With help from their human friends, Frank and Cindy, the Barbapapas (Barbapapa, Barbamama, and their seven uniquely-talented Barbababies) relocate to a large, beautiful-but-shabby abandoned Victorian. They lovingly restore it, and live there happily... until unmanned wrecking machines come and tear it down! Unhappy in their subsequent cramped city apartment, the Barbapapas leave the polluted city and find a pretty site in the country. There, they again work together, building their new house "in their own special Barbapapa way"--using the copious posteriors of Barbapapa and Barbamama to shape the round walls of their new home. (No, I am not making this up.) Early the next day, Frank and Cindy come to visit, and "naturally, everyone had a morning bath." (I am not making this up, either.) Then, they all plant a fruit garden together and everything is lovely... until the (still unmanned) wrecking machines come to attack once more! Determined to defend their beloved home, the pacifist Barbapapas lob blobs of sticky Barbaplastic at the machines. Gummed-up, the machines cannot open their jaws, and have no choice but to retreat! To celebrate their victory, and the Barbababies' birthday--which suddenly turns out to be the same day (I am still not... well, you know)--the Barbapapas throw a big Barbaparty. Barbapapa's New House is simply 1970s-magnificient in every possible way. Zoom on over to your favorite used bookstore and try to find a copy today!