By Toni Buzzeo. Illustrations by David Small. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012.Young Elliot is a very proper, well-mannered boy. He wears a suit complete with bow tie. He says "please" and "thank you." One day while at the zoo with his father, he visits the penguin exhibit. He is very taken with these animals, so he asks his father if he may have one. Thinking Elliot means a stuffed animal, his father agrees and gives him some money. Elliot takes a small penguin and puts it in his backpack. He names it Magellan (after the explorer), and sets up his room to take care of him. He even goes to the library to do research on Magellan. All is going well, and his father doesn't suspect a thing, until Elliot draws a bath for Magellan, and his father decides to take a soak at the same time! Thankfully, his father knows a thing or two about unusual pets, since he has Captain Cook. You'll have to read this story to find out who Captain Cook is.
This is a wonderful, hilarious story about finding the right pet. David Small's pen and ink illustrations show great details in facial expressions and give the story such depth. One of my favorite details is the little girl running out of the Hands-on Tide Pool Exhibit with a crab attached to her finger. Small details such as that make this a great story for sharing with children. Early on, visual clues will help children guess what animal Elliot's father loves. This is one cool story. Check it out today!
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