Book Descriptions
for Sparky! by Jenny Offill and Chris Appelhans
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
A clever twist on the “I Want a Pet” story starts with a girl’s heavy lobbying for an animal companion, followed by a compromise from her mother: “You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” A little research in the school library comes up with a match. “My sloth arrived by Express Mail.” The girl optimistically names him Sparky. “It was two days before I saw him awake.” In an effort to prove to an overachieving friend that Sparky is amazing, the girl holds a Trained Sloth Extravaganza. It is, unsurprisingly, a disappointment. Regardless, the girl still appreciates Sparky: “I reached over and tagged him on the claw. 'You’re it, Sparky,’ I said. And for a long, long time, he was.” An outrageous premise is given superb, quiet, understated treatment in Jenny Offill’s delightful picture book, from the minimalist language and superb pacing to the muted tone of the illustrations. Winner, 2014 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 4–8)
CCBC Choices 2015. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2015. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
The ingenious author of 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and a brilliant illustrator and production designer of the Coraline movie have created a hilarious, touching picture book perfect for young animal lovers. Like the Caldecott Medal-winning Officer Buckle and Gloria, Sparky stars a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. When our narrator orders a sloth through the mail, the creature that arrives isn't good at tricks or hide-and-seek . . . or much of anything. Still, there's something about Sparky that is irresistible.
Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award
Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.