Pugtato Finds a Thing

by Zondervan, Sophie Corrigan (Illustrator)

Overview

What do you get when you cross imaginative and loveable characters, enchanting and inspiring illustrations and a giggle-inducing story? Pugtato, a simple, good spud and a hilarious mashup of pet and vegetable characters by the inimitable illustrator Sophie Corrigan! Join Pugtato and his cute and quirky spuddies in this heartwarming picture book that celebrates the power of friendship, compassion, and believing in your own unique gifts.

When Pugtato’s simple, quiet life is disrupted after he digs up a strange object in his garden, he enlists his best “spuddies” to help (they are more clever than he is, after all). Tweetroot is certain it’s a new egg for her nest. Tomatoad is quite sure it’s a toy just for him. And Purrsnip simply won’t stop scratching it! Luckily, Pugtato has another very special spuddy to ask …

Pugtato Finds a Thing delivers:

• A delightful, giggle-inducing, rhyming , read-aloud story perfect for kids ages 4-8
• Imaginative, silly pet and vegetable mashups such as Pugtato, Tomatoad, Carrat, Cowbbage, Croccoli, Unicorn on the Cob and more!
• A beautiful eye-catching cover rich with color and embossed texture

Young children will learn invaluable lessons from Pugtato about:

• Friendship
• Compassion
• Acceptance
• Creativity

You’ll also want to follow Pugtato’s adventures in Pugtato Babysits the Snouts, Pugtato, Let’s Be Best Spuddies, and Pugtato and Friends Audio Collection: 3 Books in 1.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310767817
Publisher:	Zonderkidz
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	372,913
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sophie Corrigan is a freelance illustrator and author from Lancashire, UK. She has illustrated many diverse items from books to calendars to T-shirts and more! When not illustrating and maintaining her online art shops, Sophie spends the spare time she has going to shows, watching nature programs, eating vegetarian food, hanging out with her pet cockatiels, and occasionally crafting cute things from wool and clay.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2020

Diligence and openheartedness are the themes of this rhyming story by Corrigan (The Not Bad Animals), but its real appeal lies in its eccentric cast: each character is a mash-up of a vegetable and animal species, with a hybrid name that evokes Parentese. The eponymous Pugtato, a roly-poly tuber-puppy who lives in a vegetable patch, discovers the mysterious and seemingly inanimate “Thing”—pearly pink and shaped like a Nautilus shell—and wants to do right by it. But friends like Tweetroot, a beet-red bird, and Carrat, who’s bright orange and toothy, are only interested in Thing for their own purposes (“Carrat thought Thing/ was for gnawing and chewing”). Finally, the wise Unicorn on the Cob advises from a leafy stalk, “you must follow your heart./ For it holds all the answers/ and sets you apart”; thus inspired, Pugtato hugs Thing, and it blossoms into a new friend. While the book’s earnestness is undeniable, its real impact may be in the giggles it inspires when readers next see a salad or produce stand. Ages 4–8. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

'When Pugtato's simple, quiet life is disrupted after he digs up a strange object in his garden, he enlists his best 'spuddies' to help (they are more clever than he is, after all). Tweetroot is certain it's a new egg for her nest. Tomatoad is quite sure it's a toy just for him. And Purrsnip simply won't stop scratching it! Luckily, Pugtato has another very special spuddy to ask... Humorous illustrations, punny character names, and quirky text combine for a sure-to-please book about friendship and believing in yourself.'

Midwest Book Review

Pugtato decides that even though he isn't always the smartest spud around, he is the wisest when he follows his heart! I loved this story! The puns with the animals and fruit/vegetables are absolutely adorable and great conversation pieces!

Pennsylvania School Librarians Association

In this delightful, silly romp through a garden filled with unique and charming creatures—part vegetable, part animal—Pugtato, 'a simple, good spud,' finds a shiny, round Thing when he digs in the mud. Pugtato is bewildered because he can't figure out what the Thing is. He cleans it off and sets out to seek the wisdom of his 'best spuddies.' Tweetroot (a beet-bird), Tomatoad (a tomato-toad), Purrsnip (a parsnip-cat), Cowbbage (a cabbage-cow), Unicorn on the Cob (a corn-unicorn), and others offer their suggestions to Pugtato. Finally, Pugtato realizes that all he needs to do is give the Thing a hug. When he follows his heart, he makes a wonderful discovery—'a newest, best spuddy.' Filled with hilarious, cartoonish illustrations, this rhyming picture book is sure to delight young children again and again as it teaches them about compassion, friendship, and believing in oneself.

April 2021 The Banner

06/12/2020

K-Gr 2—In a very odd garden, where leaves have tiny faces and sunflowers smile, lives a spud, Pugtato, whose "spuddies" include a wise old Unicorn on the cob; Carrat, a rodent-like orange veggie; chill dude Purrsnips; Cowbbage, who moos at things; and more. When Pugtato, who digs in the dirt very much as a pug might, with the markings and small paws of that breed, unearths a small opalescent spiraling round Thing, he queries all, near and far, to find out what it is. He follows his heart in how it should be handled—the others are not quite so careful with it—and hugs it till a snail friend, a new spuddy for him, emerges. The rhyme scheme of the story is charmingly awkward: "Sorry to wake you, but I am confused. Can you tell me how this little Thing should be used?" Still, this is destined to be a story hour favorite, as Thing is passed from one helpful neighbor to another, and bounced, scratched, tossed, and nearly eaten on its way to friendship. Corrigan's illustrations have a Japanese minimalism but an English country garden's palette and readers will smile through the pages, seeking what's next. VERDICT In a world where vegetables and animals are merged into one endearing category, this book speaks to a preschooler's sense of silly while also carrying a lesson of loving inclusion.—Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

School Library Journal