Sparky!

December 16, 2013
Depending on one’s feelings about exotic pets, Offill’s (17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore) sloth story is either hilariously hip or burdened with pathos. At the outset, a mother tells her daughter, “You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” Within these parameters, the girl acquires a sloth, dubbed Sparky. She tries to coax her low-maintenance pet to do tricks, but complains, “Sometimes he took so long to fetch that I went inside and had dinner while I waited.” Appelhans, an animation illustrator, debuts with watercolors in driftwood brown, teal, and red; readers will detect Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen’s influence in the palette and in Sparky’s repetitive poses, dangling his arms from a branch or slouching upright. Offill and Appelhans’s glum story recalls the absurdism of J. Otto Seibold’s recent Lost Sloth. By book’s end, both girl and sloth are just about as lonely and miserable as ever, but at least they’re lonely together. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Sally Wofford-Girand, Union Literary.

Starred review from January 15, 2014
Quietly dry humor marks this story about a most unusual pet. An unassuming girl looks straight out at readers and explains her desire for a pet. She's not fussy, but she can't make it happen: "My mother said no to the bird. / No to the bunny. / No, no, no to the trained seal." Finally her mother consents--sort of: She agrees to any pet "as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed." After some library research, "[m]y sloth arrived by Express Mail." Here it gets really funny. The girl waits two days, standing in moonlight and rain next to Sparky's backyard tree, before he even awakens. She teaches him games: "We played King of the Mountain / and I won. // We played Hide-and-Seek / and I won." Sparky never moves a muscle. Sitting on the grass, he's stock-still; on his tree branch, he lies motionless (atop the branch, inexplicably but adorably, not hanging down in sloth fashion). Even his expression's comically immobile. Training sessions and a performance proceed--um--at Sparky's pace, but a beautiful closing illustration of girl and sloth together on his branch shows how close they've grown. Appelhans uses blue and pinky-brown watercolors and pencil on creamy background to create understated humor and affection with a light touch. A serene, funny addition to the new-pet genre. (Picture book. 3-6)

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March 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-A persistent girl asks for a pet until her mother finally relents with a caveat: "You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed." The school librarian leads the girl to the S volume of the animal encyclopedia, where she discovers the sloth, a creature that barely moves. When her sloth arrives, she names him Sparky, a moniker that suggests energy (unlike her new pet). The girl attempts to impose many un-sloth-like qualities on the quiet creature, playing several games with him that he is bound to lose (except for "Statue") and planning an elaborate Trained Sloth Extravaganza that is hardly eventful. While there are several attempts at humor in the text, ultimately this book is a little sad. The girl only reluctantly accepts that her pet sloth basically does nothing, and rather than embracing this quality, she finishes the book by starting a game of tag with her pet. Well-rendered watercolor and pencil illustrations in subdued hues of brown, green, and red depict a slight, spritely girl and an inexpressive sloth, and therein lies another problem with this book. Sloths are cute and huggable, but this one merely looks lost until the last page when he finally smiles a bit. For children interested in sloths, Lucy Cooke's A Little Book of Sloth (S & S, 2013) is a much better choice, and it includes a reminder that "sloths belong in the wild and should never be kept as pets." Additional.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2014
Preschool-G *Starred Review* Here's how it starts: I wanted a pet. The narrator's mother agrees, as long as it doesn't need to be walked, bathed or fed. A librarian helps narrow her choices to a field of one: Sloths are the laziest animal in the world. After its arrival, our narrator hopefully names her sloth Sparky, but alas, he is as described in books. Sparky's owner doesn't mind too much until provoked by berachiever Mary Potts, who informs her that not only does she have a cat that dances but also a parrot that knows 20 words. What's a sloth owner to do? Put on a show, promising countless tricks from Sparky! One of the wonderful things about this book is that there is no surprise ending. A sloth is a sloth. The show is as deadly dull as one wouldor shouldexpect. But from that sad little event comes a moment of love so pure and elemental that it will affect readers of all ages. Offill and Appelhans have created quite a perfect package. The text is spare yet amusing and full of important messages presented in the most subtle of ways. Appelhans, whose career up to now has been in animated films such as Coraline, is a revelation. The enticing watercolor-and-pencil art, mostly in soft shades of browns and burgundies and featuring the artist's hand lettering, captures a range of emotions, at least from the humans. Furry, flat-nosed Sparky, on the other hand, just is, and that, as it turns out, is enough.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
A girl tries to teach her new pet sloth, Sparky, to play hide-and-seek, roll over, fetch: nothing. After a misguided pseudo-talent show, the girl accepts that, while Sparky is no whirling dervish, he is an endearing companion. Appelhans's striking watercolor and pencil illustrations, in a muted color palette of pinks, browns, and green-blues, do much of the story's heavy lifting.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2014
A young girl wants a pet, but what kind? Her mother okays any critter that "doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed," so the girl outwits her with a sloth. The sad-eyed mammal she names Sparky arrives by "Express Mail" in a box, holes cut out for the head, arms, and legs. But the girl's excitement turns to disappointment as reality sets in: "It was two days before I saw him awake." She tries to teach Sparky to play hide-and-seek, to roll over, to fetch: nothing. After a misguided pseudo-talent show (the "Trained Sloth Extravaganza") is a bust, the girl accepts that, while Sparky is no whirling dervish, he is an endearing companion. Animator Appelhans makes an auspicious picture book debut with strikingly beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. His style, reminiscent of Jon Klassen's, incorporates a muted color palette of pinks, browns, and green-blues, but with a slightly softer, rounder quality, while also weaving in visual deadpan humor (the sloth is a brilliant straight man). However, the text doesn't feel completely fleshed out, leaving the pictures to do too much of the heavy lifting. For instance, one of the story's recurring themes -- the importance of honoring a commitment -- feels underdeveloped, leaving the final, visually gorgeous sunset spread of girl and sloth somewhat lacking in impact. Even so, this lovably lazy pet will fast win his way into readers' hearts. sam bloom

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)