Sparky!

My PreK4 class enjoyed this story. We are learning the letter “S” this week and the sloth is such an interesting animal to learn about. We watched a sloth video and compared/contrasted with this book. We decided that sloths are very cute but in real life would not be great pets. We discussed what was real and what was make-believe. Some children still would like to have Sparky as their pet.

Before I taught 5th grade I thought upper grades didn't like picture books and using them in the classroom would never work. I was mistaken. Sure they play it off like they're too cool and want nothing to do with them...but when I pull a book out and have them sit down and I start reading, not a SINGLE eye is looking anywhere but at the book! What fakers!
This is one of those books they adore, and for good reason. It's a cute story about a girl who tricks her mom into getting a pet sloth. The sloth is always sleeping and this makes for a story that is just silly. This book is quirky but cute and when you add the watercolor pictures it just makes the whole thing darling. I definitely recommend this book.

I really wanted to love this book. Illustrative style is awesome! Unfortunately, the story is much to be desired. A few facts about sloths is the only take-away here. Otherwise, I'm reading my daughter a book about a girl who is insecure about her pet sloth because of a judgmental, bratty friend. Sadly, would not read again.

I think the illustrations are very appealing and the subtle humor is sweet but the story is a little weak. Still I enjoy reading it to my preschool class and it brought up great conversations about pets and what we like about pets, what kind of pets and so forth.

Sparky! by Jenny Offill introduces the reader to a young girl who longs for a pet of her very own. She tries asking for a bird, bunny, and a trained seal. Her mom says no to all three.

Remaining persistent, the girl continues to ask her mom for a pet every day for a whole month. Finally, her mom promises that she can have any pet she wants that doesn't need to be walked, bathed or fed. A quick trip to the library gives the girl an idea for the perfect pet: a sloth!

Sparky arrives and the girl is overjoyed. She just knows that he is going to be the best pet ever. But when Sparky doesn't live up to her expectations, will she find a way to love him for who he is?

I adore this book! Offill paints a beautiful picture of the relationship between the girl and Sparky. She proves that love conquers all, yet with a unique twist.

Being the owner of several differently-abled animals, I can relate to the girl's strong feelings toward Sparky. I often get strange looks when out with my special pack. Some people cannot comprehend the intense bond that owners feel for their furry (and non-furry) companions. The animals may not be what everyone expects, yet they are priceless in the eyes of their family.

Chris Appelhans's illustrations are simply stunning! I love how the characters take center stage and the background is left minimal. The use of watercolors works wonderfully with this sweet story. I also love the facial expressions on the animals within the book. Sparky is beyond adorable and children will fall in love with him.

This is a fantastic book geared for readers ages 4-8 but is also a wonderful read for animal lovers of all ages.

My daughters and I found Sparky! at our town library. I have vague recollections of having heard of this book, but we have never read it. Sparky! is a picture book written by Jenny Offill and illustrated by Chris Appelhans.

As the story begins, our narrator is asking for a pet. Her mother says that she can only have a pet that “doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” Well, our narrator is clever, and after doing some research, she concludes that a sloth meets those restrictions.

The little girl is not sure what to make of her new sloth, who she names “Sparky”. She tries to play games with him, but Sparky is not very good at games. After Mary Potts, a classmate/frenemy tells the girl that her pets know tricks, the girl insists that Sparky knows tricks too. She decides to put on an Extravaganza featuring Sparky- can she teach Sparky to do amazing tricks in a week?

The illustrations are just lovely. Appelhans uses a subdued color palette, with lots of browns and greys against a white background. There are some pops of color: the girl’s blue sweater, red writing on a box or sign, etc. Sparky is adorable, although he is often sleeping. Facial expressions play an important role; the girl is smiling when she introduces Mary to Sparky, but her expression changes when Mary dismisses Sparky for not being able to do anything.

I don’t always like to give away what happens in the story, but needless to say, Sparky does not perform tricks at the Extravaganza like a trained seal. The little girl is disappointed, but this is not a sad story. Instead, we are treated to a beautiful message of accepting people for who they are. Who cares what Mary thinks? She’s a mean girl who values her pets for what they can do rather than who they are.

This story teaches us about expectation vs. reality. The little girl knew the characteristics of sloths, and she is not disappointed about Sparky until Mary makes her comments. This is a teachable moment about how friends behave; friends don’t make unkind remarks. This serves as a reminder of how to treat others in addition to what to look out for in social interactions.

I would absolutely recommend Sparky!. I love finding books that serve as modern parables that pass along values that I would like to instill. Sparky might not be able to do tricks, but he is able to teach us to value others for who they are.

While the focus of this book is Sparky the sloth, his story would not be possible without the girl who ordered him by mail and gave him his name. Like many kids, the kid narrating this tale REALLY wants a pet, but her (seemingly workaholic) mother insists it has to be low-maintenance, and on a trip to the library, she learns about sloths, a furry creature (that’s the basis for many of the “Bigfoot” legends, that’s just my personal theory) that meets all the criteria-

-Low Maintenance
-Doesn't Need to be Walked
-Can’t cause various mischief
(Which one neighbor in the book appreciates)

While Sparky can’t do what other pets do, his girl learns to see the best in him in ways no one else can. When you give a dog treats, they’ll eat them all, but with Sparky, you share a cookie, meaning he gets half, than you get the other half!

While first person narration is common in YA and some middle grade fiction, it’s RARE to see first person narrator in a picture book when most often the reader is an adult (or an older tween or teen sibling), but Jenny pulls it off with noticeable skill. Not only from a technical standpoint, but also sounds like the kid narrate this story.

The impressionistic, clay/watercolor hybrid illustrations by Chris Appelhans bring quirky warmth to the experience. Kids with nontraditional pets will get a kick out of Sparky, a sloth that despite being slower than turtles, and more sedate than your eccentric cousin thrice removed after Thanksgiving has more to offer than what the cover image above leads you believe.

The little girl in SPARKY! is promised a pet - "as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed." The helpful local librarian introduces the girl to the sloth, which in addition to being the laziest animal in the world, fulfills all of her mother's requirements. When the sloth arrives, she names him Sparky and, once delivered to his tree in the back yard, he doesn't wake for two whole days. Though Sparky might not be like most pets - he doesn't fetch or roll over, but he is really quite good at playing statue - she loves him all the same. Adorable illustrations and a quirky story about a girl and her pet sloth, SPARKY! is sure to become a new favorite!

The sloth is not a noble animal. Few people spend time contemplating their heroic qualities and distinguished countenances. Had I an Oxford English Dictionary on hand I’d be mighty interested to learn whether or not the term “sloth” as in “a habitual disinclination to exertion” was inspired by the tropical, slow-moving animal or if it was the other way around. Perhaps it is because of this that we don’t see them starring in too many picture books for kids. Sure you’ll get the occasional Lost Sloth by J. Otto Seibold, A Little Book of Sloth by Lucy Cooke, or even Slowly Slowly Slowly Said the Sloth by Eric Carle, but unlike other animals there is no great slothian icon. When you say “sloth” to the average person on the street, they don’t instantly think of a famous one. Sparky! may come close to changing that. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, the sublime and subversive Jenny Offill pairs with first timer Chris Appelhans to give us a subdued but strangely content little tale about that most classic of all friendships: a girl and her sloth.

“You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” Our heroine’s mom probably regrets telling this to her daughter but it’s too late now. The minute she said it the girl headed straight to the library and there, in the S volume of the Animal Encyclopedia, she learned about sloths. In no time at all one appears via Express Mail and she names him Sparky (thereby giving away the fact that she harbors impossible sloth-related dreams). Her know-it-all neighbor Mary Potts is not impressed, so our heroine determines to show off her pet in a “Trained Sloth Extravaganza”. Naturally, this does not go as planned, but even after everyone has left and it’s just her and Sparky, she can’t help but love the little guy. With a quick tag to his claw she makes it clear that he is it. “And for a long, long time he was.”

I was talking with some folks about picture books earlier today and in the course of our conversation I discovered something interesting about the way I judge them. While art is definitely something I take into account when I decide to love or loathe an illustrated work for kids, it’s the writing that always tips the balance. I’d read some of Offill’s picture books before and while I liked them fine they did not inspire in me the kind of rabid fan response I’ve seen other librarians profess thanks to 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore. Sparky! is different. Here, the book cuts to the chase right at the start. Our heroine (who remains unnamed throughout) makes it clear that her raison d’être is to have a pet. When Sparky arrives she pours herself into his care, never mind that he’s about as needy as a houseplant in this regard. There was something so enticing about her cheery demeanor, even in the face of cold hard facts. Her mother right from the get-go also has this world-weary air that suggests more than it tells. As for the repeated lines of “a promise is a promise”, it’s a line that clearly reflects our heroine’s worldview. The combination of wordplay and story definitely made this one of the more interesting picture books I'd seen in a while.

Illustrator Chris Appelhans comes to us from the world of animation, having worked on such films as Coraline and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Comparisons to Jon Klassen, another animation escapee, are not entirely out of left field either. Like Klassen, Appelhans prefers a subdued style with a limited palette. He knows how to get a great deal of humor out of a character’s lack of movement and emotion. The sequence where the girl plays everything from King of the Mountain to Hide-and-Seek with Sparky would not work particularly well unless Appelhans utilized this technique. Add in the funny little story and I’m sure you’ll hear a lot of folks comparing this to Extra Yarn or something equally wry. That said, Appelhans is his own man. Emotion, for example, is something he alludes to beautifully. Note the bags of worry under Sparky’s eyes. I’ve never quite known what to call these, but they show up periodically in books and comics for kids. They’re great character reference points. The kind of bags that Charlie Brown would sport. Here, they suggest more about Sparky’s state of mind than anything else.

Note that Publishers Weekly was not charmed by Sparky! In fact, Publishers Weekly was pretty much bummed out by the whole experience of reading the book at all. Talking about it, they dowsed their review with words like “glum”, “lonely”, “miserable”, and (my personal favorite) “burdened with pathos”. A reading of this sort happens when you walk into the book expecting it to cater to your already existing expectations about what “pet” books should do. Where PW found the book depressing, I found it smart and serious. Yep, Sparky looks mildly perturbed for most of the book, but that’s only when he’s taken out of his natural environment. The very last image in the book of him finally getting to lie in his tree next to his girl is the only time we ever see him smile. As for the girl herself, she knows perfectly well what she got herself into and why her dream of getting him to perform fell through. And she’s a happier person than the seemingly self-assured Mary Potts, that’s for sure, having a fair amount in common with Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes. As such, this isn't the downer fare you'd necessarily expect.

The School Library Journal review, for that matter, did a small bit of hand wringing over whether or not children would come away from this book with the clearly misbegotten understanding that having a sloth for a pet would be fun. Since this is a work of fiction (and the underground sloth procurement market remaining, for the most part, elusive to their needs) I hardly think we need fret about whether or not kids will take the wrong message away from Sparky! After all, it makes sloth ownership look just about as appealing as whale ownership in Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem. Sparky is awfully cute but as our heroine is quick to learn, he’s not about to do much of anything he doesn’t want to do. The only time he does something the heroine suggests, it’s when he munches slowly on a cookie she’s offered him (and then proceeds to take back when it’s clear he’s going to take all day with it).

It’s a much quieter picture book than those full of glam and glitz, cluttering up our shelves. Like its color scheme Sparky! suggests that pet ownership is not a predictable path. Or maybe it’s saying that imposing your will on others, particularly the barely sentient, isn’t the way to go. Or maybe it’s just a funny book about a funny sloth. That works too. However you look at it, there’s no denying that though it’s a silly idea (telegraphed by the silly contrast between the title and explanation mark and the cover image) with a slow, steady feel and delightful premise. You read into the book what you want to read into it. For me, that means reading into it a great story with beautiful art (that final sunset is a doozy), and likable characters. What more need you in life?

For ages 3-7.

Jenny Offill’s story begins with a young girl begging her mother for her first pet, a scenario many readers young and old will connect with. “You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” With limited choices, the girl mail orders a sloth and names him Sparky, with great hopes he will be the amazing pet she has been dreaming of! She cheerfully dedicates herself to caring for and getting to know him, but sadly, she quickly learns that the facts she read in the library about sloths being low maintenance and not needing anything or anyone are the ugly truth. Sparky can’t play hide-and-seek, tag or fetch, he can’t do any tricks to impress her friends. Heck, Sparky has a difficult time just staying awake.

Chris Appelhans (illustrator of films Coraline and The Fantastic Mr. Fox) has created gentle, genius illustrations to accompany this lovable story. Sparky’s lack of movement and glum emotion is so quiet, yet he somehow jumps off the page with personality. You cannot help but feel sorry the unfortunate circumstances of our heroine, but at the same time, Sparky is irresistible and you’ll adore him in all his lazy glory.

Offill and Appelhans have created a hilarious yet sad, touching picture book. It is perfect in so many ways. The story alone is so good you would love the book without the illustrations. The illustrations alone are so good, you would love the book without the story. And that, in my humble opinion, is the mark of a perfect story.

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You can find many things to love about this book, which really grows on you. But for me, the simply yet beautifully illustrated tale about a sloth (and an imaginative girl,) is everything good about modern children's books. There is no heavy handed morality tale going on here, just an honest portrayal of a girl who wants a pet and an overworked mom who concedes to a sloth... and how funny it is when you get what you want.

You will laugh, feel awkward and maybe want a sloth. But you will not be disappointed.

This story has potential to be really cute, I just felt that it was a little too cryptic and disjointed for preschool or kindergarten aged students. Although the idea of loving a "different" type of pet is a great idea, it wasn't portrayed clearly enough. A snooty side character is presented, but her negative comments are glazed over and her bad attitude had to be explained to my child as she didn't understand that this was the antagonist in the story. The true test is that both my two year old and four year old had no interest in reading the story again and it was promptly delivered back to the library.

This incredible little book begins by the statement, "I want a pet." The girl's mother's response? "You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn't need to be walked or bathed or fed." Wow! That is a serious request! Where does one go to research such a demand? The school librarian is just the person to get it done. She goes through her library shelves and stops at the letter "S".... for "Sloth." Together they discover that the sloth hardly moves, is very quiet and poses little trouble with upkeep to its owner. Just the perfect pet for sure. The little girl goes off to mail-order her new animal companion.

When he arrives she names him Sparky. Yes, Sparky, because hopefully that name will invigorate him and put some pep into his life. He really doesn't seem to have much energy or seem to even care about getting the thrills and adventures out of the life around him. Her neighbour Mary Potts fuels the fire by announcing that her cat can dance and her parrot knows twenty words. Oh my! What is a sloth owner to do? She tries to play different games with him .... but he is not enthusiastic about participating and then she has a brilliant idea....she will put on a show, promising "countless tricks" from Sparky. Na....that was to no avail too.

The illustrations are created with watercolour and pencil. They are soft, muted and and the colour palette of brown, green and burgandy/red fits the text perfectly. They capture the emotions flawlessly and feature the the artist's hand lettering which I really liked.

What the girl discovers is a sloth is ....well....a sloth. He loves to hang out in trees and be quiet and is very slow and loveable. The valuable lesson learned from her adorable sedentary pet? He is perfect just the way he is. He's a keeper for sure. No returns. And HIS keeper she will be for a long, long time.

Kids really liked it- I had to read and painfully skip one word. Read it and you will understand. This should be in public school libraries, yet the one word causes us to refrain. I question the author's purpose- perhaps her intent was not what one may initially assume. Well written. Wish I could give it five stars.

Although the illustrations are cute, the entire book was a fail lesson for children.
First, the mother she was such a sad character. She was mean, telling her daughter she could have any pet she wanted as long as it didn't need to be walked, feed, or bathed. Really? than that would be a no.
Then the girl buys a sloth in a box. During her time of taking care of the sloth, she pokes it with a stick, gives it a cookie than takes it away. Wants the sloth to perform tricks, (to impress her "friend" or mean girl), and then finally I guess just accepts that its a sloth.

As a parent this book promotes animal cruelty, being mean, and wanting to out do others with "my pet is better than your pet."

Sparky is an amazing. We love sloths in our family and my husband was so excited to get this for our 1st child. This book is so cute and shows children now matter what everything is special no matter what other people think. We love reading this to our son. The pictures are so cute.

Cute illustrations but why is it not horrifying that people really do buy sloths, who die without their mothers. Sloths are more amazing when left alone...before you add to the assumptions and ignorance of the consumer in the west, learn about the,animal whose image you are exploiting. Leave the male in his habitat! He walks, upside down, with the same gait as an upright mammal, defending his 2 Sq mile territory all night, keeps 3 females, then sleeps in the heat of the day. Not lazy or slow. Read a grown up book before misguiding children. It's not OK to keep a sloth or suggest that they are a pet.

My class liked this book but we were wanting something more. We wished that something magical would have happened at the end of the story with Sparky. We wanted Sparky to do something amazing! The illustrations are adorable though!

As the newest entry in the inappropriate pet genre, Sparky! takes its place alongside Jon Agree's My Rhinoceros on the ASPCA-unapproved bookshelf. In reality, sloths don't make good pets because of many species-specific challenges, including unique diet requirements and sensitivity to temperature changes. According to zoologist Lucy Cooke, most zoos in the U.S. refuse to keep sloths because they require such specialized care. She thus questions how untrained pet owners can suitably provide for such an animal. "Sloths make lousy pets. Their highly specialized biology makes sloths largely unable to survive outside the rainforest. So, the idea that any old Joe could just keep one as a pet is a bit of a fantasy, really." Know-it-all Mary Potts may have been right.

I'm also not thrilled that the sloth here looks, well, unhappy. Particularly considering a sloth's natural expression is a smile--a fact which leads some to mistakenly believe they are perpetually happy. I therefore cannot help but wonder if we are to understand that Sparky doesn't enjoy being a pet. (Being shipped arms- and legs-out in an Express Mail box probably wasn't an auspicious start to the owner-pet relationship.) Then his new owner is poking him with a stick to stay awake--after reading in an encyclopedia that sloths sleep sixteen hours a day. That's unkind and unfunny. For the record, the very last illustration in the book shows Sparky smiling; it's very sweet, but it's too little, too late.

Sloths are the pet du jour in America. Celebrities such as Anderson Cooper and Kristen Bell sing (and sometimes cry) their praises. Yet, a captivating children's story about a sloth doesn't just happen lying around like a sloth. The author should have found a creative way to take advantage of the sloth's natural tendencies to save the day or at the very least make an emotional impact with the reader. As it is, I'm not convinced the sloth is a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. I actually find Sparky kinda cute, but I'm not sure his owner does. As I have said before, I'm all for the ugly duckling motif, but the ugly duckling needs to have some hidden talent or redeeming quality. And maybe it's because I'm as worked up as long-tailed lemur in a room full of rocking chairs, but I don't see why one of the words of parrot-speak had to be "God." That seemed out of place, literary criticisms notwithstanding.

If Sparky's story didn't do it for me, the artwork certainly did. Chris Appelhans is a talent to watch. His watercolor-and-pencil work is lovely. There's something about his shading and texturing which recalls the classic charcoals from the Golden Age of children's books as well as recent bestsellers from Jon Klassen (I Want My Hat Back). Appelhans' typeface is also a win. It is said to be a hand-lettered design of the artist, though I noticed multiple variations of most letters, so kudos for the extra detail.

As a story, however, I cannot recommend this book. It makes me sad every time I read it. I don't think that was the intent, nor does it work well as a cautionary tale. My kids haven't asked for it again, either. I know the author's work is polarizing, so perhaps Sparky! will have its share of supporters, too.

Rest assured, there's a place in this world for atypical pet stories. Look for This Moose Belongs to Me instead.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]

The illustrations in this book are absolutely adorable. I just wanted to reach in and grab that little sloth and hug him! The story is cute and funny, too. I've given this book as a gift several times and each time it was well-received.

My class liked this book but we were wanting something more. We wished that something magical would have happened at the end of the story with Sparky. We wanted Sparky to do something amazing! The illustrations are adorable though!

As the newest entry in the inappropriate pet genre, Sparky! takes its place alongside Jon Agree's My Rhinoceros on the ASPCA-unapproved bookshelf. In reality, sloths don't make good pets because of many species-specific challenges, including unique diet requirements and sensitivity to temperature changes. According to zoologist Lucy Cooke, most zoos in the U.S. refuse to keep sloths because they require such specialized care. She thus questions how untrained pet owners can suitably provide for such an animal. "Sloths make lousy pets. Their highly specialized biology makes sloths largely unable to survive outside the rainforest. So, the idea that any old Joe could just keep one as a pet is a bit of a fantasy, really." Know-it-all Mary Potts may have been right.

I'm also not thrilled that the sloth here looks, well, unhappy. Particularly considering a sloth's natural expression is a smile--a fact which leads some to mistakenly believe they are perpetually happy. I therefore cannot help but wonder if we are to understand that Sparky doesn't enjoy being a pet. (Being shipped arms- and legs-out in an Express Mail box probably wasn't an auspicious start to the owner-pet relationship.) Then his new owner is poking him with a stick to stay awake--after reading in an encyclopedia that sloths sleep sixteen hours a day. That's unkind and unfunny. For the record, the very last illustration in the book shows Sparky smiling; it's very sweet, but it's too little, too late.

Sloths are the pet du jour in America. Celebrities such as Anderson Cooper and Kristen Bell sing (and sometimes cry) their praises. Yet, a captivating children's story about a sloth doesn't just happen lying around like a sloth. The author should have found a creative way to take advantage of the sloth's natural tendencies to save the day or at the very least make an emotional impact with the reader. As it is, I'm not convinced the sloth is a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. I actually find Sparky kinda cute, but I'm not sure his owner does. As I have said before, I'm all for the ugly duckling motif, but the ugly duckling needs to have some hidden talent or redeeming quality. And maybe it's because I'm as worked up as long-tailed lemur in a room full of rocking chairs, but I don't see why one of the words of parrot-speak had to be "God." That seemed out of place, literary criticisms notwithstanding.

If Sparky's story didn't do it for me, the artwork certainly did. Chris Appelhans is a talent to watch. His watercolor-and-pencil work is lovely. There's something about his shading and texturing which recalls the classic charcoals from the Golden Age of children's books as well as recent bestsellers from Jon Klassen (I Want My Hat Back). Appelhans' typeface is also a win. It is said to be a hand-lettered design of the artist, though I noticed multiple variations of most letters, so kudos for the extra detail.

As a story, however, I cannot recommend this book. It makes me sad every time I read it. I don't think that was the intent, nor does it work well as a cautionary tale. My kids haven't asked for it again, either. I know the author's work is polarizing, so perhaps Sparky! will have its share of supporters, too.

Rest assured, there's a place in this world for atypical pet stories. Look for This Moose Belongs to Me instead.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]