Bartleby of the Big Bad Bayou

by Phyllis Shalant

Overview

Bartleby, the red-eared turtle, and Seezer, the American alligator, have swum the Mighty Mississippi to reach bayou country, their true home. But when they find the creek where Seezer was born, they discover it’s ruled by Old Stump—a giant gator with a gargantuan appetite. Fortunately, Bartleby has a knack for making friends, and there is soon a new crew to count on, including a red-ear named Lucky Gal. Still, life in bayou country is full of challenges. Does Bartleby have what it takes to make this strange new world his own?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101154106
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/21/2005
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Phyllis Shalant is an author of both fiction and non-fiction children's books.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-6-Bartleby, a red-eared turtle, and his alligator friend, Seezer, have traveled through three seasons to make their way from their former lives as pets in New York State to their rightful home in bayou country. Sadly, when they arrive, the bayou is not as Seezer remembers it, nor as Bartleby imagined it. A huge and nasty gator, Old Stump, and his gang of four have taken over the area and eaten or frightened away most of the other animals. Bartleby is as courageous and clever as he was when he met Seezer in Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi (Dutton, 2000) and he manages to outwit the numerous enemies he encounters in the swamp. Finally he meets other red-ears, as he has longed to do since he saw a nature special in his former home, and finds his match in plucky Lucky Gal. Friends and foes interact much like people and discover loyalties and harmony after surviving drought, bullies, and another spell in captivity. Fans of the first book will enjoy this story most but it can stand on its own. Touching and exciting, this fast and easy read will appeal even to reluctant readers.-Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Tiny but tough, Bartleby the red-eared turtle is back. His friendship with Seezer the alligator, cemented by their long trip down the Mississippi and the shared menace of the current occupants of Seezer's native bayou, is threatened by a dry spell in their new home in a cypress swamp. Furthermore, his lady friend, the beautiful Lucky Gal, has disappeared into the woods. Captured and confined in a restaurant fountain, Bartleby is happy to find Lucky Gal there, too, but misses his freedom. Throughout this simply told story, Bartleby's perseverance and his ability to make friendships pay off, as he escapes from the formidable Old Stump and his three guard gators, the easy life of captivity and a wily and hungry alligator garfish. Readers of Bartleby's earlier adventures in Bartleby of the Mighty Mississippi will find this similarly satisfying. Floca's lush black-and-white drawings introduce each section and a map that illustrates the neighborhood. (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews