No guarantee that children will choose a guinea pig as a pet (especially with all these choices!), but the odds are in...
An exuberant (and imaginative) little boy pooh-poohs the idea of having a boring guinea pig for a pet…until he gives it a try.
Not satisfied with his sister’s cute and cuddly guinea pig, the narrator wants a cool pet…like a dog. Watercolor scenes from his imagination fill the next spread, showing readers the fun that he could have with a dog. But a page turn brings him back to reality, his sister explaining that dogs are smelly and messy—the opposite of guinea pigs. This pattern continues as the boy imagines life with a shaggy bear and a smoking dragon. And why stop there? One page is a hodgepodge of (similarly inappropriate) pets, wickedly toothy in Taylor’s artwork. But when the wise sister places her beloved pet on her little brother’s knee, it’s the start of more than just a merry game of hide-and-seek. He agrees he’d like to share her pet, admitting guinea pigs can be fun...“though I’d still like a dragon someday!” Taylor’s children have a sweet sibling relationship (minus the dragon breathing fire at the sister), while page turns nicely build suspense. The parents of young readers who enjoy this may want to read aloud Guinea Dog (2010) by Patrick Jennings next.
No guarantee that children will choose a guinea pig as a pet (especially with all these choices!), but the odds are in parents’ favor. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4677-1143-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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