Family Ties by Gary Paulsen

Family Ties is one of five books in this series written by my favorite author, Gary Paulsen.  The other books in this series written by Gary Paulsen were:  Vote, Crush, Flat Broke, and Liar, Liar.  All five books have Kevin Spencer as the main character and he is about middle school age.  He lives in a family of five - a mom, a dad, a brother, and a sister.  He is the youngest of the three children and plays the part of the glue that keeps the family together.  Each book is about a specific family/friend adventure.  Keven is hopelessly in love with a girl by the name of Tina.

In Gary Paulsen's book Family Ties, Kevin has been struck with the idea of reconnecting his dad with his brother Will.  Will and dad had a falling out in the past and has not been restored.  Kevin emails his Uncle Will and he agrees to come over to the house.  Will brings his new wife and the adventure begins.  Kevin recommends that his Uncle and new Aunt get remarried and Kevin begins the planning.  It turns out that their Aunt who lives above the garage has considered getting married also.  Kevin goes into high gear to organize the two weddings.  There are new characters introduced into the Spencer family and bring about some interesting, and funny, dynamics.  In the end, Uncle Will and his wife have to take their dog to the veterinarian because it was going to have puppies.  Kevin's Aunt who lives above the garage gets married and the Spencer family is there as the witness.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
If you like Gary Paulsen and his many youthful books you will enjoy this book.  In fact, I would recommend the series because the build upon one another.  Each book brings you into the life of Kevin and his desire to solve family problems.  You are left chuckling and laughing out loud because of some of the situations Kevin gets himself in.  I have read all five of the books in the series and enjoyed each one.

AR Quiz: 90%

Mr. Peabody's Apples

Mr. Peabody's Apples is a story about how words have tremendous power and influence. In this children's story written by Madonna, Tommy sees Mr. Peabody take the shinniest apple for the store without paying for it. Tommy immediately assumes that Mr. Peabody is a theif and tells all who would listen. Soon the boys who usually play baseball on Saturday don't come and play because they don't want to play with a theif. Another boy, Billy, talks with Mr. Peabody and discovers that Mr. Peabody pays for the apple and milk early every Saturday morning but picks the apple up on his way home from the baseball game. Tommy is sad he spread a rumor. Tommy appologizes, yet he doesn't quite get it. Mr. Peabody has Tommy meet him at the baseball field with his feather-filled pillow. They cut open the pillow and spread the feathers. Mr. Peabody then tells Tommy that each feather represents someone in the town who heard the rumor he spread. Tommy then realized how words can spread fast and influence other people.

MY TWO CENTS:
The story or fable is simple, yet powerful. I enjoyed its simplicity. The artwork is also fantastic.

100% on the AR quiz. ")

Three Names

The author of Sarah, Plain and Tall wrote a lovely children's book called Three Names. Three Names is a simple book about the days when children on the prairie road a wagon, a horse, a pony or walked to a one room school house. In this enjoyable story, a boy and three names (the boy's dog) loved to go to school and they missed it when school was out for the summer.

MY TWO CENTS:
The story transports me back to the days when children did attend a one room school house. I spent a moment or two reflecting on what it would be like to have a multiage classroom and try to meet the academic and social needs of the students in the class. I have to hand it to the early school house teachers, they had their work cut out for them.

Criss Cross

Lynne Rae Perkins was the 2005 Newberry Award recipient for her book Criss Cross. This is a becoming of age story that takes place during the summer months. Each chapter reveals the thoughts and youthful actions of three main boys and two main girls. They live in a small town named Seldem. Many of the five are bored with their small town and all the plain people. As the summer months pass, they begin to discover new things about the town, the people and each other. In the end, they begin to discover that the happiness many of us are searching for is right in front of you.

MY TWO CENTS:
Cute book about discovering and noticing new things about old things. I enjoyed how Lynne Rae Perkins introduced the main characters and intertwinded their lifes throughout the chapters of the book. This was a pleasant read, especially after recently finising The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe.

The title Criss Cross came from the radio show the five characters listened to in Leon's truck while parked in the driveway. The radio show was one of the many times these five characters paths criss crossed throughout their life.

I received 100% on my AR quiz.

Big Chickens

Big Chickens written by Leslie Helakoski is a delightful book about four chickens who were frightened away from their chicken coop due to the presence of a wolf. Their flight took them through the woods, into a ditch, to a lake, into a cow patch and then inside a cave. All along these four chickens were scared and frightened. In the end, they discovered they were filled with guts, brains and power and didn't need to be afraid.

MY TWO CENTS
Some of the simplest stories turn out to be little favorites. Big Chickens was a gift from one of my students who purchased the book during our Back-2-School Night book fair. In many ways, I related to these four chickens as they ventured out beyond the comfort and safety of their chicken coop. They were afraid of every new place and run by the thoughts that filled their minds. Although they didn't take the time to process the new information they functioned on a preconceived notion that the situation (i.e. cow patty, lake, wolf) was nothing but doomsday. It wasn't until they were corned in the cave and reluctantly faced the big bad wolf only to realize that they have strength in numbers and strength in doing something. All too often we allow fear to consume us and control our actions (or lack there of). When we face our fear, willingly or unwillingly, and deal with it head on, often times we concur the fear and realize the only thing we feared was fear itself.

Accelerated Reader Quiz: 100% ;)

Junie B., First Grader Toothless Wonder

Ms. Parks does it again. Her well known and well loved first grader, Junie B. Jones, has delighted our hearts and minds with a simple event we have all encountered at least once in our life.

Junie has been wiggling her tooth for days and it is on the verge of coming out. The first tooth is always the hardest. Its the unknown and fear can consume one's mind. Junie talks with her teacher, whom offers little comfort but praises her for being the first 1st grader to loose her tooth in his class. Junie's nemesis is jealous and makes a number of attempts to discredit this experience.

With the help of Junie's grandfather, the tooth comes out. She is scared, yet intrigued. This begins many questions and discussions about the tooth fairy, where to teeth go and why would a tooth fairy take your tooth and leave you money.

In the end, Junie puts the tooth under her pillow, gets some money and then discovers what the tooth fairy really does with a child's tooth. Sorry, I'm not telling. You'll have to read the book to find out. :)

MY TWO CENTS
This series is delightful and fun to read. The main character, Junie B. Jones, is your typical first grade girl who has a fun outgoing personality. The things she experiences and shares in her adventures are real experiences our first and some second graders face. I took the AR quiz and only got 80% correct. I need to keep working on my reading comprehension. As of this blogging, there is not a vocabulary quiz for this book.

The Gingerbread Boy

The Gingerbread Boy was edited by Nova Nestrick. This is a classic story about a poor elderly woman and man who live on a farm. They both wanted a child but couldn't have one. So the elderly woman baked a gingerbread boy who came to life as soon as she opened the oven door. This gingerbread boy ran through the fields and met many people who wanted to eat him. It wasn't until the gingerbread boy ran into a wild animal who wanted to eat him. He was told to run home back to his creator, his mother. He ran all the way home and jumped into the arms of his mother.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
The Gingerbread Boy is very similar to The Gingerbread Man. I'm not sure of the major differences but I am sure there are a few. I thought that The Gingerbread Boy and The Dog Who Cried Wolf had a similar plot. Both the Gingerbread Boy and Moka believed that life was better on the other side of the mountain or simply away from where they were. However, in the end, both the Gingerbread Boy and Moka realized that where they came from was better than their perception of the world outside the safety of home.

The Dog Who Cried Wolf

The Dog Who Cried Wolf was written by Keiko Kasza. This delightful book does have an Accelerated Reader quiz. It is only worth .5 points. The Dog Who Cried Wolf takes place in the comfortable home of his owner Michelle. Moka, the dog, sits with Michelle reading a book about wolves. Moka begins to dream about living the life of a wolf. He leaves his comfortable home to become a wolf. He trys to catch dinner but it either gets away or makes fun of him. Lastly he howls at the moon and a family of wolves answer his call. Moka hightails it back home and runs into the arms of Michelle.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH:
This is a delightful book about a dog who wants to discover his roots. There have been those times in my life when I thought about my life and wanted to run in the other direction. Like Moka, one thinks life would be better on top of the mountain with the wolves; however, the reality is life is pretty good right where you are. Life isn't always greener on the other side of the mountain, its just a different kind of grass.

AR QUIZ: 100% :)

The Little Engine That Could

The Little Engine That Could was written by Watty Piper and first published in 1971. This is a story about a train that carrys toys and food for all the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain. The train that typically brings the toys and food items to the good little boys and girls on the other side of the mountain breaks down. The toys and animals are sad and desperately try to get help. The ask a pompous passenger engine, a studly steam engine, and an exhausted elderly engine. All three of these engines had excuses as to why they could not help the broken down train. Then the toy clown flagged down a little blue engine. This little blue engine had never been on the other side of the mountain. In fact, the little blue engine had never left the train yard. Although small and insignificant, the little blue engine offered his help. With postive thoughts, energy, and pure determination, the little blue engine pulls the train over the mountain to the town with all the good little boys and girls. His montra, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can".

The story took place in the rolling hills. There were several standout characters: a clown, the passenger engine, the steam engine, the old engine, and the little blue engine. The main message of the story is to never give up and always try.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH
One of my ultimate favorites. I have read this to students in grades 2-7th, my staff, and to adults in my university classes. The Little Engine That Could can be used for so many reasons: inspiration, determination, writing, plot, leadership, etc... Over the years as a student, as a teacher, as an administrator, and as a parent, I have found myself referencing this story again and again. When the mountain seemed too high or the shore to far away, I recall the sound of the little engine that could, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can". As odd as it sounds, those four simple words said over and over have gotten me over many mountains.

AR QUIZ: 100%

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks: From the Back of the Bus to the Front of a Movement is a biography written by Camilla Wilson for Scholastic Incorporated. This biography was written for students who read at the fouth grade level. Ms. Wilson did a fantastic job researching the life of Rosa Parks and sharing it with her young readers. The bulk of the 73 pages were spent on Rosa Parks earlier days in Montgomery. Early in her life, Rosa was involved with equal rights. This biography takes the reader through her yearly days and reveals the strong, determined woman behind the Montgomery bus boycott.

MY TWO CENTS:
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. This was a journey into the life of Rosa Parks in the years before the Montgomery bus boycott. I enjoy these types of biographies because they tend to give the reader a picture of the individual's life before they became well known. Rosa Parks did not live a simple and easy life. Her life was filled with pain, suffering, and fear. However, her life was also filled with determination, focus, and compassion. The one thing that struck me the most as I read this biography was Rosa Parks' work ethic. Rosa Parks worked a full-time job as a seamstress, answered phones on her hour lunch break, and participated in a number of politically related organizations after work (i.e. she would type, take notes, contact people, organize the meetings, etc...). When the day was done, she would go home and start all over again. In addition to her work as a seamstress and her volunteer work, she also had to take care of her husband and her parents. I practically buckle thinking about all the responsibilities Rosa Parks had on her shoulders, yet, she carried on. I am thankful she did not give up. I am thankful she did not get out of her seat on the bus. I am thankful she found the energy to carry on. Rosa Parks is a person to be admired and emulated in many ways. All people should be treated equally and there is no one race more superior than another. We all need to eat, we all need to sleep, we all bleed, we all breath, we all love, we all want a better life for our children. Although Rosa Parks took a seat, she stood for all.

Nate the Great and The Boring Beach Bag

Nate the Great and The Boring Beach Bag was written by Margaret XYZ. It is one of many books in the Nate the Great book series. The reading level of this delightful mystery book is 2.0 (2.0 is equivalent to second grade zero month - September).

Nate is at the beach swiming in the beautiful ocean with his dog Sludge. Oliver, the boy who follows everyone, swims out to Nate to tell him someone stole his boring blue beach bag. Nate agrees to help Oliver find his boring blue beach bag. Nate and Oliver set out to gather clues to help them solve the mystery. Nate talks with Oliver, Annie, Esmerelda, and the girl who runs the beach restaurant. Using his uncanny detective skills, Nate the Great uncovers the mystery. No one ever stole the bornig blue beach bag. It was Oliver who could not find his borning blue beach bag in the first place. Another mystery solved by Nate the Great.


MY TWO AND A HALF CENTS WORTH
This is a delightful mystery book series for young readers. The main character is a boy so I would say that this series is marked for young (1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade) male readers. Although I don't consider myself as young as a second grader, I do enjoy reading these fun, yet simple mystery stories written by Margaret XYZ.

Main Characters: Nate the Great, Oliver the boy with the boring beach bag, sludge Nate's dog, and Annie the girl running with her dog.
Setting: The beach.
AR Score: 100% ;)

Gary Paulsen: Real-Life Reader Biography

Real-life Reader Biography: Gary Paulsen was written by Ann Gaines and published 2002.

This biography was written for the elementary age reader who has become interested in the distinguished writer named Gary Paulsen. The book begins with Mr. Paulsen's experience in the Iditarod. Three of the chapters cover his younger years and the years as a struggling writer. The last chapter skims through the 1990's when his career as a writer skyrocketed. The children's author by the name of Gary Paulsen became well known by the students and teachers connected to the grades 6th - 10th.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH
As a young reader who wants to know more about the life of Gary Paulsen, this is a great introductory book. In fact, although I have read other biographies and autobiographies on Gary Paulsen, there were a few new bits of information I either didn't read before or simply skipped over them in the past. For example, I did not know the first book he wrote was The Special War. Now that I know this information, I will search for a reasonably priced hardback book. As of this writing, I have been unable to locate a hardback copy available.

The Glass Cafe

The Glass Cafe or, The Stripper and the Sate: How My Mother Started a War With the System That Made Us Kind of Rich and a Little Bit Famous was written by Gary Paulsen and was published in 2003.

The Glass Cafe was written in the style of an autobiography, however, it was not written about Gary Paulsen. The main character is Tony or formally known as Anthony Henson. The whole story has been written from his perspective and through his voice.

Tony is your typical elementary age boy who likes a girl and has a good buddy. He is average in school and enjoys reading. He lives with his mother who is raising him all on her own (no help from the state or local agencies). Tony's mother works several nights a week but always makes him breakfast in the morning, puts him on the bus to school, is home when he gets home, helps him with his homework, and eats dinner with him before she goes off to work.

One day a teacher of his, an art teacher, has a discussion about artists. The teacher mentioned that many artists sharpened their skills by drawing the bodies of people, specifically women. Tony decided he was going to practice drawing so he could become a talented artist. With his mom's permission as well as all of her coworkers permission, Tony went to work with his mom and stayed in the rehearsal room. Ms. Henson worked at the Kity Kat Club and was an exotic dancer. With the club's permission, Tony sat in the rehearsal room and began drawing. The pencil drawings were simple yet told a story. He visited a few more times and completed approximately 10 drawings.

The drawings were given to his art teacher, the drawings were fantastic and submitted in an art show. Someone noticed the age of the artist and made a formal complaint to the child protective services agency. The agency over stepped their authority, things went bazerk in the court room, and through the settlement the Henson's life had changed a little bit. Ms. Henson no longer was an exotic dancer, she reentered the doctorate program, started to date Mr. Miller, and Tony is still a kid who likes to draw.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH
Gary Paulsen has to be one of my favorite all time authors. I can pick up one of his books and find myself easily lost within the setting and life's of his characters. He has a way of transporting you from your world into the created world of his words. Mr. Paulsen has a way with words that pull young male readers in. From my limited perspective, Gary Paulsen's main audience is the young male (ages 9-18) who not only struggle to read but don't like to read. He has a way with identifying with this audience and pulls them along.

The Glass Cafe was written in a different style of writing. Due to my lack of knowledge and/or writing exposure, I don't know the technical name for this style of writing. It was written as if it was an autobiography but it is not an autobiography. I guess I would classify this as a fictional autobiography.

The one piece that intrigued me in this book was the concept of The Glass Cafe. In the last chapter (chapter 6) when we were in the courtroom scene, Ms. Henson used The Glass Cafe concept in her defense. Although I know little about this concept or line of thought, I do know that the Glass Cafe was a place in Beirut, Lebanon where they served coffee and people came to listen to professional story tellers. These storytellers were highly skilled. As they would tell their story, they gathered information about audience and matched their story-telling to the needs and wants of the audience. They knew when to hesitate and hold their audiences at bay until the people would place money in their cups so the story would continue or come to an end. The Glass Cafe concept sounds more like the art of reading your audience and responding to their inner needs and/or unannounced desires. The art of the Glass Cafe is something many of us can use when working with an audience of any age.

Murphy's Trail

Murphy's Trail was written by Gary Paulsen and Brian Burks. Murphy's Trail is one book in a series of books about a sheriff named Al Murphy. As of the writing of this blog, I believe there are seven books in the Murphy series. The first book in the Murphy series is simply titled, Murphy (1987). Murphy's Trail was written in 1996. I am not sure what number this book is within the series. The Murphy books have been written for those of us who like to old West, Gary Paulsen's humor, and his detailed story telling.

Murphy's Trail must be somewhere in the middle of the series of books. Although the book is a stand-alone book, one can tell that Al Murphy has had some tough experiences in the past and that there where more in the future.

This story begins in a small town named San Patricio. A friend from the past, Risa, pleads for his help to find her husband and two boys. A rich and powerful man has begun to muscle his way into the lives of the people in many of the small towns within territory. Ben King is his name. He has many people working for him both on the surface and under the surface. In other words, there are those who openly work for him and those whom get paid by him under the table. Ben King has been buying up businesses in the surrounding area. Not just in one town but in many of the small towns surrounding the area. Typically when his men come into town, the town's people shy away and let the men do their thing (i.e. drink, get rowdy, bully).

Risa takes some time to explain to Mr. Murphy what happened prior to her husband and son's disappearance. Murphy agrees to help investigate. Murphy soon discovers that Ben King has a silver mine operation and has enslaved many Mexicans and Apaches to work the mines. Ben King catches wind that Murphy is on his trail so Mr. King sets him up. In a very short period of time Murphy becomes a wanted killer, a fugitive, and horse thief. With the help of an unexpected foe and a group of town's people, Murphy shuts down Ben Kings operation and frees the people of his tyrannical rein.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. In fact, I liked it so much that I went on-line and bought four more Murphy books. Gary Paulsen is a talented writer. He is able to bring his readers "into" the story with his tremendous talent character development and attention to detail. If you enjoy Western type books about the old west (1800's) that are filled with action and a sense of realism, the Murphy series is highly recommended.

Launching, Floating High, And Landing -

In 1979, Gary Paulsen wrote the words to the non-fiction book entitled Launching, Floating High, And Landing: If Your Pilot Light Doesn't Go Out. This book was written for children who are interested in ballooning but know little to nothing about it. Gary Paulsen's humor oozes from the pages, thus it is a delight to read.

The story line of the book is simple: the balloon starts on the ground, you heat the air, the balloon goes up, you float, then as the air in the balloon cools you come down.

The pictures in this book where taken by Heinz Kluetmeier and they definitely date the book. The hair styles and clothes let you know the book was written in the late 60's to mid 70's.

MY TWO CENTS WORTH
Ever since I read the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen I was hooked. I think I have read every book he has published; however, there are those rare times when I come across a book of his I have not read. Thus, Launching, Floating High, And Landing: If Your Pilot Light Doesn't Go Out. I discovered this book one day when I was walking through our school library in the P section. Thrilled and ecstatic, I checked out the book and went straight to my office. Much to my chagrin, I zipped through the book in less than 4 minutes.

If you or a child you know has become interested in ballooning or would like to learn some basic information about ballooning, this is a fun book to begin your journey.

Stop, Drop and Roll

Stop, Drop and Roll was written by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Arthur Howard. This Scholastic book was published in 2001.

Stop, Drop and Roll is a precious story about a young elementary age girl who worried about everything. Her name was Jessica. Jessica worried about homework, spelling tests, and her new steps in ballet class. Fire Prevention month is the month of October. We journey with her as she learns about fire prevention and what to do when faced with a fire. Her teacher asks Jessica to model how to "Stop, Drop and Roll" if your clothes catch on fire. Although she worried herself silly about, little miss Jessica was able to model the correct actions in front of the whole school.

MY TWO CENTS:
I really enjoyed this book for two simple reasons. First of all it takes us through the mind and actions of an elementary school child. As an adult, a fire drill or even a disaster drill is nothing more than practice. As a adults we have experienced many of these type of drills as well as an occasional "real" thing. However, fire drills and/or disaster drills are new and unfamiliar situations for elementary school students. This book written by Margery Cuyler exposes young students to these common drills and lets them know they done for their safety. Lastly, I enjoyed this book because it outlines the actions that should be taken by all in the event of a fire. Our character, Jessica, takes this new information and begins to apply it to her life at home. She begins to ask her father questions regarding fire safety and she takes her little brother along to inspect the house for fire hazards. Jessica models for our young students what they should do both at school and at home.

This is a book I would recommend as a quick read-a-loud followed up with a conversation and/or a lesson on fire prevention. It is an easy, quick, fun, and action provoking read.

NO AR: :(

Math Fables

Math Fables was written by Reg Tang. In an effort to inspire the young to view math as fun and interesting, Reg Tang has written a number of books around the topic of math. Math Fables is a fable with animals and insects as characters. As in many math books for younger students, as you read the pages you discover that you and your child are counting to ten. This book is unique in the sense as you are counting to ten through the pages, the author provides the readers with multiple combinations of the numbers. For example, when the author writes about the 5 raccoons, he also writes about the 2 raccoons who "quickly grabbed" the trash can while "the other 3 all cried." Reg Tang infuses these types number combinations throughout this math book.

MY TWO CENTS:

Charming math book for young children. It is a quick read and provides a fun atmosphere reading about numbers. I particularly liked how Reg Tang incorporated different combinations of numbers to highlight the actual number he was focusing on. This opens the door to addition as well as how several different combinations of numbers can equal the same number (i.e. 2+3=5, 3+2=5, 4+1=5, 1+4=5).

AR QUIZ: 100%

Bones

Bones and the Dog Gone Mysterys was written by David A. Adler.

This is a simple story about a boy, his grandpa, grandpa's dog, and the boy's love of being a detective. Grandpa gives Jeffry Bones a magnifying glass to add to his detective bag. Grandpa, the dog, and Jeffery go to the park. As Jeffery swings on the swing he looses his magnifying glass. Grandpa and Jeffery look for it and then discover that dog was gone. Was it stolen? Did he run away? Detective Bones will find him because that's what detectives do. Detective Bones looks around for clues, asks an old lady questions, and then decides to take the regular path home. Jeffery and Grandpa discover the dog at Grandpa's house. The dog knew his way home and went there as soon as his leash was unhooked. Mystery solved.

MY TWO CENTS:

Not the deepest level book I have ever read but it was cute. My son is into dog but not quite detective work. However, he wanted to read this book together, especially since it had a dog and boy in it.

The Gas We Pass

The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts written by Shinta Cho.

I heard about the author Shinta Cho before and the variety of other children's literature that was written. So....when I saw this book on Amazon.com I knew what I had to do. I bought it immediately. A few days latter it arrived in the mail and my son and I tore open the package (it was not gift wrapped). The cover alone sent the two of us in hysterics. It took about five minutes before the water left our eyes so we could focus on the words on each page. A civilized individual could read this simple book in about three minutes. However, when you give a book about farts to a father and a son it will take a lot longer than three minutes. In fact, it took my son and I about 25 minutes to read this book. We laughed at, ogled over, gawked at, and mimicked each page several times before turning to the next. Talk about male bonding. My wife, my son's mother, was not pleased with our immature actions as well as my role model behavior. Hey, I was reading to my son and he was reading to me. Come to think about it, I don't ever recall reading being so fun!

Since the reading of this book, we have come across a number of others covering the same topic. However, my wife found one at the Thrift Store for fifty cents. The book is entitled, The Day My Butt Went Psycho. If my wife bought it for us to read, it must be good. Can't wait to read the book and then write about it. ")

No AR QUIZ.

I Love Guinea Pigs

I Love Guinea Pigs was written by Dick King-Smith and was illustrated by Anita Jeram. This book was purchased for the Eisenhower Elementary School library in honor of one of their highly regarded staff members, Karen Pfrimmer. Mrs. Pfrimmer has dedicated her life to the betterment of each and every student that crosses her path. Thank you Mrs. Pfrimmer!

I Love Guinea Pigs is a book about…..you guessed it, guinea pigs. Although I am not too fond of guinea pigs or for that matter any type of rodent, I can understand why some people acquire a fondness for these animals. According to the author, a guinea pig is not a pig but a rodent – like mice, rats, and squirrels (of the four, I like squirrels best). These rodents come in all different colors and hair styles. Like most mammals (i.e. dogs, cats, pigs, horses, etc…), the guinea pig has many varieties. There are the Peruvian, sheltie, the crested, the smooth, and the Abyssinians.

The author mentions that a guinea pig is easy to keep and that is not fussy. Apparently they are hardy animals and don’t often get sick. A guinea pig lives to be about five to eight years when properly taken care of. The diet consists of carrots, cabbage, vegetable leaves, wild plants, and clover. Some of the annoying cute sounds a guinea pig makes are: putt, chut, tweet and drr. Sounds like some of the vocabulary words my son used when he was 7 – 12 months old.

All-in-all, the author shares his passion for and knowledge of guinea pigs with the children of all ages. He definitely is an advocate for this rodent who apparently was brought over from a country in South America called Dutch Guiana. If one does not have the space or time for a dog, a guinea pig will be able to fill the need. Although they won’t be able to fetch a stick or a ball, a guinea pig will recognize you and come to you when you call. However, if you want let your guinea pig know your really care about it, don’t forget to say “purr”. This means “I love you” in guinea pig language.

AR QUIZ: 100%