Henry Reed, Inc. is, in many ways, a straightforward story of domestic adventure. Robertson employs no symbolism to tell his story, for the issues he deals with are neither complex nor subtle. This is not to say that they are unimportant. Good humor and a sense of proportion, as Henry, his friends and family show, make for a happy and productive daily life; they also help when calamity arises. Robertson demonstrates this truism by having his young characters and their animals accidentally start problems such as traffic jams, then showing the difference between the reactions of different adults. Sensible adults such as Uncle Al help unsnarl problems; he laughs at the silliness of the situation but not at the kids. Foolish adults such as the Apples blow minor problems out of proportion and end up causing more trouble for themselves.

They fail to squelch the kids...