Sparky!: Jenny Offill & Chris Appelhans

Book: Sparky!
Author: Jenny Offill
Illustrator: Chris Appelhans
Pages: 40
Age Range: 4-8

Sparky! by Jenny Offill and Chris Appelhans is a new entry into the picture book sub-genre of kids with unusual pets. The beginning of Sparky! reminded me quite a bit of A Promise Is A Promise by Florence Parry Heide and Tony Auth in which, after several crazy attempts at pets are shot down, a boy ends up with a pet parrot. In Sparky!, a girl keeps asking and asking for a pet, and is finally told that she can have a pet if she can find one that "doesn't need to be waked or bathed or fed." The girl comes up with a sloth. Sparky! is the story of what it's like to have one of "the laziest animals in the world" as one's pet.

Sparky mostly just sleeps in a tree. He's not very good at King of the Mountain or Hide-and-Seek, but he's champion at Statue. When a (not very understanding) girl from school criticizes Sparky, the narrator attempts to teach him tricks, and hosts a performance. The results are not impressive. In the end, however, (and this is conveyed in a subtle fashion) the girl makes peace with the limitations of her pet, and just appreciates him. 

While unusual pet stories are fairly common, Sparky! has a nice, subtle humor that worked for me. Like this:

"That weekend, Mary Potts came over to investigate.
Let me show you what Mary Potts is like.
This is a picture of her room."

The accompanying picture shows a drawing (like a kid drew it) of a big-mouthed girl. Certificates hang on her wall for "Excellence in Permission-Slip Compliance" and "Most Likely to Chew Close-Mouthed in Lunchroom." 

I think what I like is that the narrator just quietly keeps trying. She never complains about having a somewhat lame pet. When she holds a show for Sparky she dresses in a crown and cape and asks her mother "Do I look like a ringmaster?" Her mother tells her "You look very interesting." I respected the mother's ability to be honest without being mean. 

Appelhans' watercolor and pencil illustrations match the tone of Sparky! He uses a muted palette and minimalist backgrounds. He perfectly captures the droopiness of Sparky pretty much all the time and the girl's quiet hopefulness.   

Sparky! is not a dramatic, exciting sort of book. Instead, it's the kind of book that makes readers smile, and that you appreciate more on the second reading than on the first. Sparky! is a quiet celebration of loyalty towards an unconventional friend. I read this from a library copy, but I am strongly tempted to purchase my own copy. Recommended, particularly for first and second graders. 

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (@RandomHouseKids) 
Publication Date: March 11, 2014
Source of Book: Library copy, checked out for Round 1 Cybils consideration in Fiction Picture Books. All opinions are my own. 

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