When no one comes into the pet shop, the animals decide to put on a show.
The pet shop has opened, but no one is coming in. What can the animals do to attract customers? Hamster has an idea: "Let's put on a show!" There are rehearsals, costumes, lighting, and sets, but will the plan work?
Professional Reviews
Kirkus, 2009
hough nearly wordless, this cheery story is full of deeds. All the pet-shop animals mix and mingle in the front window anxiously awaiting customers, yet no one comes in. The clever hamster takes matters in hand and devises a brilliant plan to get visitors: “Let’s put on a show!” he squeaks. Detailed preparations are made, from costuming to lighting to rehearsals. The Pet Shop Follies finally opens with its adorable cast made up of the hamster (donning paper clips as tap shoes), a rat, a parrot, a guinea pig, an orange cat, a dog, a tortoise and the stars of the magic show, three white bunnies! They awe their audience with myriad talents and a complete circus show of juggling, tightrope walking and, when the rat puts his head inside the cat’s mouth, bravery (the now-gathered audience's reactions are priceless). The creamy, rich gouache double-page spreads are uncluttered, allowing each amazing feat its moment in the spotlight while remaining developmentally appropriate for young readers. A sweet lap-read companion to Pet Shop Lullaby (2009).
Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August, 2010
No customers have entered the pet store, and the animals are worried. They decide to put on a show to drum up some interest among the passers-by. Will their antics be enough to draw some people into the store? Bright, cheerful illustrations help to catch the attention of young children, and the simple story can initiate an interesting conversation about what some businesses do to increase demand for their products.
When vacationing at a mysterious Maine lighthouse, ten-year-old Dylan befriends a ghostly lighthouse keeper who must protect Dylan from danger after he learns a very big secret.
