Take a look the next time you’re in the Children’s Department. This book has a great story that will appeal to children who like funny books with heart. Jenny Offill, Illustrated by Chris Appelhans. You can guess that things don’t go exactly how our heroine wanted, and I won’t spoil the ending, but expect some laughs and some very beautiful final pages. Sparky by Jenny Offill, 9780375870231, available at Book Depository with free delivery worldwide. But when the somewhat bossy Mary Potts is less than impressed with Sparky (she doesn’t see what’s so good about a pet who only excels at playing Statue), our young friend decides to put on a Trained Sloth Extravaganza.

Sparky is adorably still, watching his new owner try to play with him (games like King of the Mountain and Hide-and-Seek). I loved looking at Sparky’s face despite being a sloth, his face was quite emotive! I loved the overall impression that the images left me with, and they had great details that could be appreciated when reading one-on-one and up close. The illustrator, Chris Appelhans, has worked on animated films, and his style has a pretty, subtle and appealing quality to it. So begins a funny and fun picture book that will leave you and your young listener smiling.įirst off, I have to say that the art in this picture book is really quite beautiful.

The ingenious author of 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and a brilliant illustrator and production designer of. The ingenious author of 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and a brilliant illustrator and production designer of the Coraline movie have created. With those rather challenging limits, our plucky heroine starts her research (by asking a librarian, of course!) and decides that the only pet that fits is a sloth. Sparky by Jenny Offill: 9780375870231 : Books. When the adorable main character in Sparky says she wants a pet, her mother eventually gives in, but with one condition – she can have any pet she wants as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.

Sparky! by Jenny Offill