 |  |
Watch the book trailer for Pet ShopFollies
Pet Shop Follies
Boyds Mills Press 2010 ISBN# 978-1-59078-619-2 The pet shop has opened, but no one is coming into the store. What can the animals do to attract customers? A hamster has an idea: "Let's put on a show!" The animals begin rehearsals. There are costumes, sets, and lights. Then it's time for the big show. But will the audience watch the animals perform. Come to the show and see! REVIEWS Though nearly wordless, this cheery story is full of deeds. All the pet-shop animals mix and mingle in the front window anxiously awaiting customers, yet no one comes in. The clever hamster takes matters in hand and devises a brilliant plan to get visitors: “Let’s put on a show!” he squeaks. Detailed preparations are made, from costuming to lighting to rehearsals. The Pet Shop Follies finally opens with its adorable cast made up of the hamster (donning paper clips as tap shoes), a rat, a parrot, a guinea pig, an orange cat, a dog, a tortoise and the stars of the magic show, three white bunnies! They awe their audience with myriad talents and a complete circus show of juggling, tightrope walking and, when the rat puts his head inside the cat’s mouth, bravery (the now-gathered audience's reactions are priceless). The creamy, rich gouache double-page spreads are uncluttered, allowing each amazing feat its moment in the spotlight while remaining developmentally appropriate for young readers. A sweet lap-read companion to Pet Shop Lullaby (Picture book. 2-5) Kirkus, August, 2010 No customers have entered the pet store, and the animals are worried. They decide to put on a show to drum up some interest among the passers-by. Will their antics be enough to draw some people into the store? Bright, cheerful illustrations help to catch the attention of young children, and the simple story can initiate an interesting conversation about what some businesses do to increase demand for their products. Yana V. Rodgers, Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August, 2010 PreS-Gr 2–The animals in this pet shop are feeling the pinch. No one is coming in to visit and play with them, and they are lonely, so they put on a talent show in the front window to attract customers. The show is both surprising (a mouse dares to put his head in the cat’s mouth), and silly (a hampster tap dances). It also demonstrates the teamwork necessary to make a performance work. The language is simple and will attract beginning readers, and the text is large and brief. The art is colorful and full of action as the animals go through their routines. Their efforts are well rewarded; after the grand finale, they get all the attention they had hoped for. These follies are a real winner.–Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ School Library Journal | Pet Shop Lullaby
Boyds Mills Press 2009 ISBN# 978-1-59078-618-5 It's night time in the pet shop, and all the animals are asleep. Squeak. All the animals--except for one. Squeak. One that can't sleep at night. Squeak. Squeak. Squeak! Turn on the light and find out who is keeping everyone awake. REVIEWS When it’s nighttime in the pet shop, all of the animals settle in to sleep just as the nocturnal hamster is stretching and waking up. He goes for a run on his wheel, but the “Squeak! Squeak! SQUEAK!” disturbs the other animals. Once he’s off the wheel, his munch munch CRUNCH and scritch-scratch noises force the other animals to get creative in settling the hamster down to sleep. After a bath in a dog food bowl (complete with tiny rubber ducky) and a bedtime story (which the guinea pig holds upside-down while making up a story about three hamsters), the little guy finally nods off. But when morning comes, it’s the hamster’s turn to be kept awake. Fraser tells her funny story economically, with few words—mostly sound effects—and with simple pictures that convey the mood of the animals through their body language, by the tilt of an ear or the set of an eye. Sweet without being saccharine, this will appeal to young preschoolers in a group or at bedtime. The Horn Book January/February 2010 A nocturnal pet-shop resident is disturbing the other slumbering creatures. In the dark room, their silhouettes gather around a cage, and their colorful eyes present an opportunity for guessing. The lights come on to reveal a hamster busily spinning on its wheel surrounded by a disgruntled cat, parrot, dog, turtle, guinea pig, mouse, and rabbits. With an admonishment to “Sh-h-h-h-h,” they turn off the lights. And the hamster does try, but with a “scritch, scratch” and a “pitter-pat,” the little rodent continues its evening activities. Awakened again, the pet-shop denizens begin to ponder ways to get the hamster to sleep. A bath, toothbrushing, lullabies (delivered by the parrot), and a bedtime story all help do the trick. On each page, the sizes and shapes of the sound words reflect their nature, from “CRUNCH,” with bites missing, to a soapy “scrub scrub.” Each spread is full of color, with soft-hued backgrounds and crisply illustrated creatures. This fun and amusing book about bedtime is also appropriate for newly independent readers.— Booklist At night, when the residents of a pet shop want to sleep, a noisy hamster keeps them awake. They try various ways to quiet the little creature: Dog gives him a bath.Rabbit brushes his teeth. Parrot sings a lullaby. Gerbil shares a story, and Cat tucks it in. Turnabout comes at daylight when hamster wants to sleep and his boisterous housemates are now wide awake. While the plot is a familiar one, Fraser’s tale is brief and to the point, and the comical gouache illustrations infuse energy into the telling. Fun touches abound, like a rubber ducky floating in Dog’s dish and the gerbil reading an upside-down book. Page layout varies from single page to spreads. Incorporate this charming read-aloud into bedtime or pet-themed storytimes.–School Library Journal, 12/1/09 |
