Spencer's New Pet
Published August 27th 2019 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers (first published 2019), Hardcover 56 pages
From the creator of Not Quite Narwhal comes a classic tale of a boy and his dog—except in this unique story, one of them is a balloon!
When Spencer gets a new pet, he’s excited to do all the things that pets do—taking walks in the park, going to the vet, and attending parties together.
There’s just one hitch: Spencer’s new pet is a balloon.
And that means No. Sharp. Objects.
No drooling dogs at the park. No prickly porcupines at the vet. And absolutely no pinning tails on any donkeys!
Spencer’s New Pet is a story of pure fun about a boy, his dog, and a friendship that endures life’s sharpest...and most unexpected twists.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Darling book with a surprise twist! I was aw'ing and oooh'ing and then I was HOWLING!
Rating: really liked it
Really more of a 2.5 star book, this one is memorable to say the least. The art is clear and competent with a few fun silent film era design flourishes (notably the countdown at the start of the book). Title character Spencer has adopted a balloon dog as a pet, doing his best to protect it from various sharp and deadly items in the world. This gets pretty redundant, but it’s all in service of a bizarre twist. When a blindfolded child attempts to pin the tail on the donkey (we see the pin heading straight for the dog), a page turn reveals the dog alone with a pair of glasses. Spencer, whom we have perceived as a human child, has popped, having been some kind of balloon animal all along. What on earth?! That poor blindfolded kid must have been traumatized. Apparently all ends well because a balloon artist whips up a fresh Spencer, who, like some kind of rubber Frosty the Snowman, comes to life once he gets his glasses back. The balloon dog, who is less anthropomorphic and doesn’t necessarily come across as alive like his popped and recreated master, seems unbothered by this turn of events.
I am flummoxed as to what Sima was trying to achieve here. She definitely surprised me! But it was not the kind of surprise that made me laugh or that made me think. I was just left with a lingering feeling of unease. Is this a commentary about how we have more in common with our pets than we realize? A humorous send-up of helicopter parenting? IMMORTAL BALLOON CHILDREN LIVE AMONGST US AND WE HAVE BEEN IGNORANT ALL THE WHILE!
Rating: really liked it
I got the biggest kick out of this book. It is written like you are watching an old silent film. The title will fool you. There is a plot twist that me and a bunch of professional children's book writers and readers did not see coming. This title was actually read to us by the author at an event. The adult audience was at the end of our seats the whole time. There was real suspense! I would love if this title received some Caldecott love.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this book. I did not see that twist coming.
Rating: really liked it
The blurb inside the front cover for this wordless picture book is perfect:
"This is the classic tale of a boy and a dog. One of them just happens to be a balloon."
It's a little black-and-white silent movie of a book, with the boy and dog spending time together at home, romping in the park, visiting a birthday party, always with the dangers---the spikes of a hedgehog, the teeth of a bulldog, the pin of Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey---horrifying to a balloon.
Delightful.
Rating: really liked it
This is an odd book that relies heavily on one (potentially creepy) punchline. The format is modeled after silent films, but it would be hard for kids who have never seen such a film to recognize that. For me, the story had a lot of build-up toward one moment that felt more like gimmick than climax. My kids also didn't gravitate toward it.
Rating: really liked it
This is a delightful wordless picture book! Spencer has a new pet - a balloon dog - and he's taking it everywhere he goes. But danger lurks everywhere - a hedgehog's spike at the vet, a bee's stinger at the park... so many sharp things to avoid! Can Spencer keep his new pet safe?
Tension builds as Spencer and his pet carry on with their day and then there's a surprise ending! A fun and different take on pet stories. Hand this to fans of THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA by Mo Willems. :D
Rating: really liked it
Wordless picture book
Spencer's pet is a balloon and cannot get near sharp objects for obvious reasons.
Sima creates a typical day in their lives and pulls the reader in.
Sadly, the balloon pops and reader are treated to a surprise as to who was the balloon. Fortunately, a balloon artist can remake the pet and lead to a happy ending.
Simple details in the illustrations bring this book to life.
Rating: really liked it
Holy plot twist Batman!
I love the illustration style and minimalist color palette.
Rating: really liked it
ONE OF MY TOP FAVORITE KIDS BOOKS OF ALL TIME. Delightfully clever wordless story with a surprise ending. LOVED!
Rating: really liked it
One of the most wonderfully original and completely surprising picture books I’ve experienced in quite a long time. A book I have already been compulsive sharing with my co-workers and scheming to include in presentations about visual literacy.
Rating: really liked it
Well that was an unexpected ending. You’ll immediately have to go back and read it again.
Rating: really liked it
This primarily wordless picture book follows a young boy named Spencer and his dog. That seems simple enough until the author/illustrator changes a couple of things. First the dog is clearly a balloon animal and second, the story is told like an old silent movie with a countdown and everything. Each primary scene is introduced with a black screen shot and a few words. The action takes place completely in the illustrations. The first scene revolves around the boy's playing, feeding, and bathing his dog before taking it to the vet, where they meet a hedgehog. A hedgehog with sharp spines! Yikes. On to scene two, wherein Spencer and the dog visit a park and enjoy being around other people and their dogs. Except the balloon dog is threatened with popping a bunch of times before fleeing into a birthday party. The boy pursues his pet through the party hoping to catch the dog before disaster strikes. At this point in the story I thought I knew what was going to happen. I was wrong. The author/illustrator throws in a completely unexpected event leading to an ending I did not see coming at all. I didn't think the book was spooky at all until I got to the end. Now that I've had a chance to think about it, I think I'd be careful using this with really young children, it might startle or scare them. Older children on the other hand might really enjoy the surprise and twist at the end. The black-and-white illustrations with just a touch of red work really well for this story as does the silent movie style presentation. A entertaining new look at life with a pet.
Rating: really liked it
[When a pin the tail on the donkey game goes wrong Spencer is the one who gets popped, not the dog. A balloon artist then remakes Spencer with balloons. (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
This is a wonderfully creative book, with a delicious, unexpected twist at the end. Set up like an old fashioned silent movie, the end pages count down to the title page which is set as the opening titles of a silent movie. Part one introduces us to Spencer and his new pet, leaving a carnival and doing all of the things that a boy would do with a dog - eating, taking a bath, learning tricks and even peeing on a fire hydrant while on a walk. In "Part 2 - The Park" the boy steps in to protect his dog from many dangers that exist for a dog of this kind. Part 3 -The Party, sees more protection and....well, the twist. There is a happy ending where everything gets fixed. This is a wildly entertaining story time audience pleaser.
