Hello~
For about 20 years, I’ve been looking for a children’s book that I loved in the 70s. It was a picture book (or at least an illustrated book) about a boy whose house was fully automated, with an ejector bed that popped him out in the mornings to be dressed robotically, and I think a slide took him to the kitchen, where his breakfast was served mechanically… I wish I had more info. I’ve hit up quite a few children’s librarians, and haven’t had much luck. The book charmed me so much as a kid, I really wanted it for my kids.
Thanks for any help you can give me!
Sounds a lot like Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead by William Pene Du Bois
If that turns out to be the book, I’d suggest starting a campaign to put it back in print! Why? Check out the prices – you won’t believe them. BTW, that book is part of a series by the author on the Seven Deadly Sins – see Solved Mysteries under Lazy Tommy Pumpkinhead. (William Pene du Bois only wrote about four of the sins in all.) The author’s 100th anniversary will be in May of 2016 – what a great time that would be to put the book back in print!
A Wallace and Gromit movie starts out precisely as you describe. Perhaps there is a book the movie is based on?
Not a picture book, but this is also the way The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald, by Clifford Hicks starts. Alvin is a boy genius who creates inventions that make life easier…and then gets involved in a mystery with his best friend Shoey (Shoie?) and his sister, The Pest. It’s a chapter book, but there are quite a few illustrations interspersed in the text by Charles Geer.
I’m also looking for this book that was read to me in elementary school (1966-1973). I also remember in the story there was a malfunction or power outage and everything was messed up, he ended up having his feet brushed instead of his teeth and his eggs ended up on his feet. I think it was about being lazy.