Exotic Pet: Sparky! by Jenny Offill

"YOU CAN HAVE ANY PET YOU WANT, AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE WALKED OR BATHED OR FED."

Mom has always said no to her daughter's requests for a pet.

No bird. No bunny. No and no again to the trained seal.

But this girl doesn't give up. She cruises the library for ideas, and when the librarian offhandedly hands her the S volume of the encyclopedia, she finds the article on the Sloth. She reads that they sleep in their trees most of the time, eat the foliage, and only drink dew from the leaves.

Definitely a low-maintenance pet!

Her sloth arrives express mail.

MY MOM WAS NOT HAPPY.

BUT A PROMISE IS A PROMISE.

Apparently, low-maintenance in a pet also means low energy. The girl, however, has high hopes for her pet. He's pretty cute lying on his limb, but he sleeps for two days while she camps hopefully underneath his tree. Still, she is sure he can be fun to play with. With infinite optimism, she names her limp new pet Sparky.

But Sparky doesn't play games very well. In fact, he always lets her win--except at Statue. Sparky wins that one going away.

The girl's prissy classmate Mary Potts is not impressed. Her cat dances on its hind legs on cue, she points out. What can Sparky do? she asks.

Challenged, the girl counters that she is planning a Trained Sloth Extravaganza for the next weekend, with Sparky as the star, and invites Mary Potts and the neighbors to the show.

But sloth training requires a lot of patience, she learns.

HE TOOK SO LONG TO FETCH THAT I WENT INSIDE AND HAD DINNER WHILE I WAITED!

... BUT A PROMISE IS A PROMISE!

Mom gets into the swing of the thing and offers deck chairs and cookies and lemonade for the spectators, and the big day finally comes. Will Sparky rise to the occasion? Will he even wake up and move?

Jenny Offill's Sparky! (Schwartz and Wade, 2014) takes a tongue-in-cheek look at pet training that will resonate with kids whose pets don't quite live up to their original expectations. With wry, dead-pan delivery, her little pet owner gives it her all, and wisely seems to come down on the side of valuing Sparky's huge capacity for constant companionability despite his total lack of pet pizzazz.

Artist Chris Appelhans gets into the spirit of this quietly comic tale, limiting his palette to three colors in his understated but charming illustrations of Sparky, who manages to be quite cute while doing absolutely nothing at all until the final page, where he gives his devoted owner, who joins him on his branch, an approving smile. Definitely not a story for fast-break action fans, this picture book has a special appeal to kids who dig ironic, offbeat humor. Kirkus stars their review with this peppy endorsement: "A serene, funny addition to the new-pet genre'."

For more of Jenny Offill's off-beat humor, try her 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore (see review here) and 11 Experiments That Failed.

The Power of a Gift: The Carpenter's Gift: The First Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel

Nearly a lifetime had passed, but Henry could still remember what it felt like to wake up in the old shack, especially during wintertime.

It is 1931, and the Great Depression has settled on the land, and in a drafty little frame house in the country just outside New York City, there is little work for his parents and little to spend for coal for the stove or food for the family. To try to earn some money, Henry and his father cut some evergreens and drive to Manhattan, hoping to sell some as Christmas trees.

Downtown, they set up their small lot near a group of construction workers preparing the site for the future Rockefeller Center. The workers are friendly, sharing their lunches and small bonfire with the two, and when Henry's father has sold all but one of his trees, he gives the last one to the workers, who stay after work hours to fashion decorations for their little tree from scraps of materials left around the site, cans, bits of twisted metal, and paper scraps.

Henry helps by making a star from a folded piece of newspaper, and when he sees the strangely beautiful Christmas tree, he wishes on that star for a snug, safe home:

"If ever there was a magical moment," Henry thought,"this is it."

And in true Christmas story form, there is a small miracle, as the workmen return the gift by showing up at Henry's dilapidated shack and in their off-hours build with scraps from their job a small but sturdy house for his family. When the job is completed, Frank, a carpenter, gives Henry his hammer as a Christmas gift. "Here, Sparky," he says, "you'll need this."

Those gifts, a home and a hammer, are the key to Henry's future. He himself becomes a carpenter and builds a secure career for himself with that hammer and his own hard work. And by chance, when he is an old man, he gets to return the gift, giving a magnificent evergreen found on his own property as the chosen tree to be the Rockefeller Center tree. Learning that the wood from his tree will be passed on to build the home for a Habitat family, Henry gives a seed cone from the tree and the treasured hammer to the daughter of the family who will help build and live in the house to be constructed for them.

"Here you go, Sparky," Henry said, "you'll need this."

David Rubel's The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree (Random House, 2011), lighted by Jim LaMarche's luminous illustrations, is the heartwarming affirmation of joy that each Christmas season needs. Like Newberry author Kate DiCamillo's and Bagram Iboutalline's Great Joy (midi edition) or P.J. Lynch's beautifully illustrated version of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi this is that book for this season. Horn Book's reviewer gets it right: "Rubel’s story of compassion hits all the right holiday notes; LaMarche’s lush, warm illustrations of glowing Christmas trees and smiling, caring characters drive home the central message of charity."

All for Love! Family Ties by Gary Paulsen

I'm the happiest guy alive. Because Katrina M. Zablinski is my girlfriend.

I'm also the greatest family member you'll ever meet.

Lack of confidence is not Kevin Spencer's problem.

But he's under a lot of pressure. He is totally head-over-heels smitten with Tina, and he's sure she's the one for him for life. So naturally, he's got to plan a first date with her that will sweep her off her feet in awe with what a wonderful family man he's going to be.

So Kev starts the ball rolling by e-mailing his dad's brother Will, whose last visit practically wrecked the house, to come for the weekend and mend some family fences with his brother. Of course, Kevin's parents have not a clue about this amnesty project, so when the doorbell rings, Dad has a big surprise on his doorstep.

"Michael!" Uncle Will's voice boomed, "Got a big hug for your favorite brother?" Uncle Will put his arm around a woman stand just outside the door and pulled her into the house. "This is Brandee! Two ees! Because she's Extra Excellent.

Brandee's my new wife!"

Brandee's excellence wasn't so obvious to my folks. "Nice to meet you," Mom and Dad muttered.

Uncle Will reached behind Brandee and yanked a small boy forward. "And this is her son Larry. I call him Sparky....!"

It seems that Larry's nickname was chosen with care. Sparky is fascinated with fire, especially starting them.

Uncle Will had saved the best for last. He reached behind Brandee again and pulled forth a polar bear on a leash. "And this is Athena. Athena is part Great Pyrenees, he added.

"Oh, yeah, Athena's got a bladder infection. She can't always hold it real well!"

It looks that pulling off a miracle mending these family ties is going to be just the ticket to impress Tina, Kevin figures, and he heads off to school full of enthusiasm. In short order, he signs up for the school art fair, because Tina's old buddy is on the committee, and agrees to partner with Tina's best friend Katie in the social studies family project, where he has to take care of his and Katie's "baby," simulated by a popcorn-kernel-stuffed onesie, so that they get extra credit for family stress.

But Kevin is on a roll. He's got a great idea for that first date with Tina--he'll plan and stage a wedding celebration for Will and Brandee. That ought to knock Tina's socks off and show what a caring husband he will make.

But things at home get even more complicated. First, Grandma Lucille hears about the big event and shows up on that doorstep, packing a utility belt stuffed with cleaning supplies. Lucille is an compulsive cleaning fanatic and immediately gets to work scrubbing and cleaning the upstairs bathrooms.

Then the doorbell rings again. On the well-worn stoop is Kevin's grandfather, Lucille's ex-husband, Papa, with his flashy girlfriend Lola, a Vegas showgirl way back in the day. Lola takes over the introductions.

Lucille looked uncomfortable and stated toying with a bottle of tub and tile disinfectant jutting out of her fanny pack. Lola zoomed over and threw her arms around her boyfriend's ex-wife.

"I feel like I know you, like we're sisters or old friends already." Lola squeezed Lucile and rocked back and forth. She tucked her arm through Lucille's and grinned, clearly believing she'd just made a new BFF.

Kevin's mom is treating a sudden headache by resting her forehead on a bag of frozen peas in the freezer by this time, but Kevin volunteers to take care of all the wedding arrangements. He gets as far as making a to-do list, but as the week goes by, he finds that he's falling behind, way behind, as wedding planner, especially since there are suddenly two other potential happy couples, Papa and Lola and Aunt Buzz and her boyfriend Jim. Then Athena's "problem" turns out to be an unrecognized pregancy, as she gives birth to a litter of giant Pyrennes puppies. The more the merrier, Kevin thinks, all the more likely to secure Tina Zabinski's eternal love when she sees him as the complete family man, toasting all four couples suavely at the wedding.

And it's all in the name of love, in Newbery author Gary Paulsen's latest in his comic Kevin series, Family Ties (Random House, 2014). This time Kevin is not outdoing himself at daring deeds or raking in cool cash, but presiding over yet another sit-com-style adventure in Gary Paulsen's comic novel series celebrating the world's funniest dysfunctional family.

Other short, laugh-a-minute titles in this series are Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception, Crush: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Love, Flat Broke: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Greed, and Vote.

Battle of the Imaginary Buddies: Pingo and the Playground Bully by Brandon Mull

IN SECOND GRADE CHAD OFTEN PLAYED WITH HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND PINGO DURING RECESS.

SEVERAL OF HIS CLASSMATES HAD IMAGINARY FRIENDS AS WELL.

All is well with Chad and his friends. Even their pretend pals have complementary superpowers: Tiffany has Awesome Girl; Gary has Sparky the Robot at his command; and Dustin had Mr. Bob, the world's smallest super guy residing in his pocket at all times. With characters like that, the four kids share some unique adventures on the playground every day.

But one day, after an bizarre battle with the Lava Monsters, the four friends begin to boast about how their "special friends" are the best, and an epic conflict arises, with each imaginary alter ego besting the others in his and her own own way. To Chad's dismay, Pingo is a perennial second place in every match. Finally, Chad's pal steps in to broker a truce.

"THIS IS SILLY!" PINGO SAID. "CONTESTS ONLY PROVE WHO IS BEST AT CERTAIN THINGS."

But while the four friends are considering this piece of wisdom, they face a new adversary--their classmate Jeremy and his faux friend Grunt. Grunt is a hypothetical hero who mirrors his human creator--long on muscle and short on subtleties. Jeremy and Grunt lean more to a philosophy of pounding rather than persuasion. If Pingo is, as Chad still maintains, the BEST imaginary friend, can he figure out a way to psych out Jeremy and Grunt before everyone gets bested in a playground putdown?

Brandon Mull's latest book in Pingo series, his Pingo and the Playground Bully (Shadow Mountain, 2012) offers primary graders a look at how to co-opt a bully into becoming a buddy. Brandon Dorman's illustrations give this picture book its punch and pizzazz, especially in his illustrations of the competing fictional friends. While inviting the bully into their team of buddies may not work in the upper grades, it's a plausible plot line for second graders, and the use of their alter egos as expressions of their personalities and aspirations offers readers some insight into the primary grade social scene.

Getting to First Down: Fall Ball by Peter McCarty

In the fall leaves whirled past the windows of the big yellow bus.

"Football in the park in ten minutes!" Bobby calls.

Promising his mom to be back before dark, Bobby drops off his books at home and dashes back to meet his teammates. Jimmy is snared by his parents to rake leaves, and sadly watches the others gathering for a game as he struggles to corral the swirling leaves into something like a pile.

But getting off a scrimmage isn't that easy. There isn't much in the way of an offensive line, and when Bobby goes back for a pass, his dog Sparky thinks he's the intended receiver. He makes a good catch, but runs a little out of bounds, right into the center of Jimmy's hard-earned leaf pile!

But just as Bobby gets his ball back, he hears an unexpected call for time out!

"Time to come home!" call the parents.

"Already?" says Bobby.

And then, to underline the futility of fall football, it starts to snow.

Game over!

But at least there's a big game on the tube after supper, in Pete McCarty's nostalgic new book, Fall Ball (Henry Holt, 2013). McCarty's stylized little ballplayers, their hair blown straight up in the breeze, amid the whirl and swirl of falling fall foliage and set in the center of heavy creamy pages, gives this story a sturdy, homey feel, right down to the old-fashioned television set decorated with fall pumpkins on top as the kids settle down cozily for a little football after all. A pleasant slice-of-life story as warm as a piece of autumn apple pie, McCarty's story makes the most of autumn ambience. "A likable ode to the perennial pleasures of autumn and friends," says Kirkus Reviews.

McCarty is the author-illustrator of the Caldecott-winning Hondo and Fabian.

In the Z-Z-Z-Zone! Sloth Slept On by Frann Preston-Gannon

HE WASN'T LIKE ANY OTHER CREATURE WE HAVE EVER FOUND IN OUR BACKYARD.

WE ASKED HIM HIS NAME. WE ASKED HIM WHAT HE WAS DOING IN OUR TREE.

BUT THERE WAS NO ANSWER. HE WAS ASLEEP.

The good-hearted kids load the creature up on their little red wagon, his relaxed limbs dangling, and set off to find the answers to their questions.

Dad is too busy to take a look at their passenger, so they move on, inside the house to do some research in their animal books, but they don't see anything like their shaggy, somnolent friend. He's certainly not an elephant or a zebra. He has big claws, but he doesn't look much like a bear. Maybe he's an astronaut alien for another galaxy far, far away!

However, lying unnoticed on Dad's armchair, the Daily News has a banner headline:

ZOO BREAKOUT!

Then, in a book on the rain forest, their search pays off. He sleeps a lot, he moves slowly, or not at all, and he has shaggy fur. He's got to be... A SLOTH!

These thoughtful kids know the sloth's family must be worried, so they don't let the grass grow under their feet. They decide to send the sleepy sloth back to the nearest rain forest.

WE FOUND A NICE BIG BOX AND USED ALL THE STAMPS WE COULD FIND.

WE PICKED SOME LOVELY LEAVES FOR THE JOURNEY.

The kids dutifully haul the big box off to the post office, paying no attention to the signs posted along the way with pictures of the sloth. The caption says

IF FOUND

PLEASE RETURN

TO THE ZOO!

But the sloth sleeps on as the plane wings its way to the the deepest, darkest jungle, where the postal workers leave the box under a tall tree. The monkeys are curious and pry open the box.

The sloth is awake! And he has a question for the monkeys.

"EXCUSE ME. WHICH WAY IS THE ZOO?"

Bears and sloths sleep on... and on. But not even Karma Wilson's Bear can sleep as much as a sloth, as Frann Preston-Gannon's latest, Sloth Slept On (Sterling Books, 2015), proves. Preston-Gannon's narrative is delivered by the would-be helpful kids in deliberative, deadpan style, while her dutiful little animal lovers are totally oblivious to the zoo's efforts to find their wandering sloth, an irony that won't be at all wasted on young readers.

Pair this one with Preston-Gannon's previous book about another rather exotic critter, How to Lose a Lemur (see review here), or either of these jolly sloth stories--Helen Lester's Score One for the Sloths (Laugh-Along Lessons) or Jenny Offil's Sparky! (read review here).