Pet-a-Palooza

by Jan Carr, Kris Mukai (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet the pets of Buddy and Bea and their friends in the third installment of this laugh-out-loud illustrated chapter book series celebrating life in a second grade classroom.

After an author visits their classroom, Buddy and his friends can't stop talking about their pets. Joey’s adorable puppy even stops by Ms. Maple’s classroom (and makes a major mess)! But something seems off about the things Bea is saying about her cat. Are her stories true?

Buddy has his own pet problems, so he tries not to focus on the drama with Bea. No one knows what to think about Bea’s tales—should they believe her? Is she fibbing? The truth turns out to be even more complicated than trying to train Buddy's cranky cat.

This funny and fast-paced series stars a hilariously unlikely buddy duo, making it irresistible to chapter book readers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682635360
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Buddy and Bea , #3
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 7.82(h) x 0.44(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jan Carr's first job was as a Head Start teacher in New York City's Hell's Kitchen. She has extensive series writing experience for licensed properties and is also a picture book author. She has taught writing at The New School and SVA. Visit her at jancarr.net.

Kris Mukai is a cartoonist and writer who lives and works in Los Angeles. She has drawn illustrations for The New Yorker and the New York Times. She currently works as a writer at Cartoon Network and has written for Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, We Bare Bears, and the WBB spin-off We Baby Bears. In her spare time, she monitors hawk nests in her neighborhood. See more of Kris’s work at hikrismukai.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2024

Gr 1–3—In this installment, a visiting author inspires a classroom of second graders to sharpen their writing skills by exploring a subject near and dear to their hearts: their pets. With engaging prose crafted in short sentences, this illustrated chapter book is well-suited for its target audience. Emerging readers will be drawn in by the gentle humor, relatable school setting, and the cast of characters with distinct and varied personalities. Adults may appreciate the way educational content is smoothly incorporated into the upbeat plot as the children's classroom teacher dispenses advice to help them hone their writing skills. Though it may not break new ground in its genre, this title is a solid choice for young fans of contemporary realistic fiction, with affirming themes of problem-solving, inclusion, and friendship. Energetic black-and-white illustrations complement the cheerful tone of the narrative and capture some of the book's funniest moments to great effect. Protagonists Buddy and Bea are white presenting, with ethnic and cultural diversity represented among the supporting cast. VERDICT This title is a welcome addition to early chapter book collections, and a surefire hit for animal lovers.—Allison Tran

School Library Journal

2023-12-16
Buddy’s question for a visiting author sparks a pet-focused confab among the second grade Whirligigs.

Buddy and his classmates, including his best friend, Joey, and outspoken Bea, discover that among them they have many pets, from Buddy’s irascible cat, Sunshine, to Joey’s new puppy, Frisbee, to Bea’s mysterious cat, who likes to sleep on top of cans. The members of the class—named the Whirligigs “because whirligigs were maple seeds. And their teacher’s name was Ms. Maple”—engage in some enthusiastic cataloging of the variety of pets in their homes. The kids start to wonder if Bea really has a cat. Meanwhile, Buddy’s reluctant to reveal details about Sunshine, such as her habit of playing with her poop, until Frisbee has an accident while visiting the class. Carr includes a variety of classroom lessons, such as sorting and tallying, that incorporate this age group’s particular interests and concerns. She convincingly captures the way young elementary schoolers latch on to a new idea and carry out related activities. The students and their concerns will feel familiar to many, from earnest, sometimes worried Buddy to irrepressible Bea, whose pet turns out to be one of the neighborhood bodega cats. The cheerful cartoon art depicts a lively, diverse school. Buddy is Asian, Joey is Black, Bea is light-skinned, and a previous book established that Ms. Maple is of Filipina descent.

Another winning adventure with this charming elementary school class. (Fiction. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

"Energetic black-and-white illustrations complement the cheerful tone of the narrative and capture some of the book’s funniest moments to great effect. . . a welcome addition to early chapter book collections, and a surefire hit for animal lovers."—School Library Journal

"Another winning adventure with this charming elementary school class."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher