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Animal House

by Candace Ryan
32p. 978-0-80279-828-2.
COPY ISBN
K- Gr 2—In the tradition of far-fetched excuses for missing homework, Jeremy's tops the list: his "vulchair" has eaten it. Mrs. Nuddles, his teacher, has had enough of his imaginative excuses, prompting a home visit. Her intent is to ban Jeremy from the field trip if she does not like what she finds at his "gorvilla," a house made entirely from live animals. Featured are the "condoor," "floormingos," his mother's "zebras," and so on. The plot is thin, and confusing. The ending reveals that the school trip will be to a "mooseum," leading readers to wonder why Mrs. Nuddles did not believe Jeremy's tale in the first place. Nevertheless, the use of portmanteau is clever, and the large, acrylic illustrations are imaginative, bringing each part of the animal house to life, as well as the Guggenheim-like "mooseum."—Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA
After Jeremy claims a "vulchair" ate his homework, his teacher makes a home visit. She enters his "gorvilla" through the "condoor," walks across the "floormingos" and up the "harecase" to his "kangaroom." The forced story line is beside the point; what's really on display are Ryan's comical wordplay and Hale's clever acrylic illustrations, which gleefully capture the absurdity of the text.
Reviewed by Jasmine L. Precopio , Aug 01, 2010

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