My Favorite Pets: by Gus W. for Ms. Smolinski's Class

by Jeanne Birdsall, Harry Bliss (Illustrator)

Overview

A hilarious picture book from New York Times bestselling author of The Penderwicks Jeanne Birdsall and New York Times bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss about one child's outrageous school essay on his "pet" sheep.
 
Things to know about sheep:
Sheep live outside.
Sheep have wool.
Sheep will not learn to ride a skateboard.
Sheep will not climb a tree.
Sheep will come into the house...but this will get you into trouble.
 
Seventeen sheep plus one Gus means that life is never dull on the farm! From National Book Award winning author Jeanne Birdsall and New York Times Bestselling illustrator Harry Bliss comes a hilarious tale about man's other best friend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385755726
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/05/2016
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	61 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

When Jeanne Birdsall was young, she promised herself she'd be a writer someday--so that she could write books for children to discover and enjoy, just as she did at her local library. She is also the author of The Penderwicks, which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, The Penderwicks at Point Mouette, and The Penderwicks in Spring.
Jeanne lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with her husband and an assortment of animals, including a dog named Cagney. You can find out more about Jeanne, her books, and her animal friends at JeanneBirdsall.com.


Harry Bliss is a cartoonist and cover artist for the New Yorker magazine. He grew up in upstate New York amidst a family of successful painters and illustrators, and is also the illustrator of A Fine, Fine School by Newbery-Award winner Sharon Creech and Diary of a Worm and Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin; among many others. Harry lives in South Burlington, Vermont. Learn more about Harry and his work at HarryBliss.com.

Editorial Reviews

04/25/2016
Birdsall (the Penderwicks series) goes straight for hilarity in a story framed as a boy’s school assignment, with Bliss (Grandma in Blue with Red Hat) as an inspired coconspirator. Gus has a flock of 17 sheep, a healthy dose of curiosity, and parents who can’t quite keep up with him. His composition for Ms. Smolinski’s class, which appears in penciled handwriting across Bliss’s supremely goofy spreads, investigates his sheep and their interactions with the human world. Gus records his flock’s ability to understand language (“A girl sheep is a ewe. If you say, ‘Hey, Ewe,’ she won’t answer”), their dislike of small spaces (“You can’t put them into a car”), and some fashion notes. “Sheep look silly with pajamas on their heads,” he writes, memorializing the dazed face of his victim with his cell phone camera. When Gus brings the whole flock into the house, total ovine chaos ensues (“You can tell them it’s your little brother’s fault. You will get sent to your room anyway”). It’s a wooly stampede of guffaws all the way. Ages 3–7. Author’s agent: Barbara Kouts, Barbara Kouts Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"...this fresh, clever package is a solid, refreshing primary-grade read-aloud." —Booklist starred review

"A thoroughly engaging book that children are bound to giggle through." —School Library Journal starred review

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2016
K-Gr 3—Gus writes a report about his favorite pet(s): his family's 17 sheep. He begins with some basic facts about sheep but quickly slips into relating amusing details about his mischievous antics with the animals. Gus writes about his efforts to trade his little brother for a lamb, the time he dressed up a sheep in his teacher's borrowed scarf, and his attempts to teach the sheep to ride a skateboard and a bicycle. He includes brief references to his parents' reactions ("What were you thinking, Gus?"). But the last straw comes when the boy leads the sheep into the house, where they create quite a mess. "But we were only upstairs for a minute!" Gus's mother exclaims. Bliss's delightful illustrations take Birdsall's funny text to the next level by showing the extent of the trouble that Gus's grand ideas cause as well as the innocent-looking sheep. As fitting with an elementary school report, the text appears to be handwritten on notebook paper; Ms. Smolinski gives Gus a B+ and comments on his improved penmanship. VERDICT A thoroughly engaging book that children are bound to giggle through. A first purchase.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

School Library Journal

2016-03-30
During the opening scene, in which Gus hands the teacher his report and a wrapped present, kindred spirits will suspect that there's a story behind his extra-dazzling smile.The protagonist lives on a farm with his parents, a younger brother, and 17 sheep. (Both humans and sheep are white.) His paper views the animals through his unique lens, starting with gender: "A girl sheep is a ewe. If you say, ‘Hey, Ewe,' she won't answer." He describes trading his sibling for a lamb and trying to teach the flock how to skateboard. It is when he shepherds the lot into the house that chaos erupts. In combination with her preposterous situations, Birdsall's deadpan narrative leaves plenty of room for Bliss to invent comedic scenes. Children will chuckle as the sheep wreak havoc: spaghetti-sauce tracks are traceable to the culprit sporting shades and underwear, a painting frames a bemused face, and sofa stuffing serves as dinner. The bucolic watercolor-and-ink compositions portray wooly creatures that are generally phlegmatic and brothers who enjoy comic books as much as they do their ovine companions. Text appears on old-school penmanship lines and in dialogue bubbles. To her credit (and despite losing a scarf to the cause), Ms. Smolinski seems to appreciate her student's creativity and affection for his pets.Fans will want to emulate the style and voice of this funny homework saga. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews