Ginny Goblin Cannot Have a Monster for a Pet (Ginny Goblin #2)

by David Goodner (Author)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Ginny Goblin

Ginny Goblin may be a monster, but she CANNOT have a monster for a pet in this action-packed, laugh-out-loud adventure perfect for fans of Jon Klassen, Peter Brown, and Vera Brogsol. Perhaps a pet will teach clever Ginny Goblin some responsibility. Fish make good pets. So do hermit crabs. Ginny does NOT need a giant net or bear trap or army tank to catch a pet. But will Ginny Goblin get her way? Besides, isn't a monster a perfect pet for a goblin?

In this funny follow-up to Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed to Open This Box, one thing is for certain: Ginny Goblin always has a plan.

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Kirkus

Starred Review
The art perfectly complements the imaginative, absurd text....Ginny is becoming a symbol of toddler power.

None

Elaborate monster-seeking scenarios, the title phrase as a refrain, and lively illustrations in ink and gouache make Ginny's second humorous outing...perfect for reading aloud.

Publishers Weekly

Goodner and Thomas's little green goblin returns to the page following Ginny Goblin Is Not Allowed to Open This Box. This time, the alternately enabling and exasperated narrator enlists readers to find Ginny a pet alternative to the "kind of stinky" goats of which she's so fond. "But I want to be clear," says the narrator, adopting an ineffectively officious tone: "Ginny Goblin should not need a giant net to find a pet. She should not need a bear trap, and she definitely should not need to drive an army tank." The ever-oppositional Ginny, meanwhile, equips herself to pursue monsters ranging from an "unfathomable" deep-sea kraken to a "petrifying" basilisk. As the gouache and pen-and-ink vignettes grow ever more outlandish despite the narrator's attempts at "a nice safe pet," readers will realize that Ginny is neither oblivious nor foolhardy, but rather fiendishly clever. Ages 4-7. (July)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Goblins don't want dogs, cats, or even bearded dragons for pets. They prefer a fearsome kraken, an acid-spitting alien, or a basilisk that turns people into stone. But little Ginny Goblin will settle for a plain old goat if she can't have anything else. After an unseen narrator tells her that she can't have goats in the house because it's too much work to take care of them, Ginny is told to find a more appropriate pet--one that is not a monster. On her quest, Ginny dives into the deepest ocean, plumbs caves, and blasts herself into outer space and encounters a wide variety of monsters there. Thomas's colorful illustrations are packed with personality. Ginny stands out on every page, even when she's at the bottom on the sea in a submarine dwarfed by an enormous squid. All the while, she never loses her impish grin. Each spread features fun details to look at, from the little goblin's colorful unicorn chair to her baiting a basilisk with a cupcake. Goodner's text is conversational and bemused with Ginny's antics, despite her persistent disobedience. The unseen narrator eventually acquiesces and allows Ginny to keep a goat, after all of her alternative choices prove too monstrous. VERDICT Although not necessarily modelling ideal parenting, this title is sure to please children whether or not they want a pet of their own. Readers will find Ginny's adventures and the tone of the text a hoot.-Chance Lee Joyner, Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, NH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

 
David Goodner
David Goodner has an adoring wife and two tolerating cats. He works in a library where he gets to see all the new books before anybody else. This is his debut book.

Louis Thomas graduated from Gobelins/Paris and Calarts/Los Angeles. He is the author/illustrator of the book Hug It Out. Visit him at louist.blogspot.com and on Instagram at @Louis_Thomas_Draw.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780544764163
Lexile Measure
590
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
July 23, 2019
Series
Ginny Goblin
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002190 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pets
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV052000 - Juvenile Fiction | Monsters
Library of Congress categories
Humorous stories
Pets
JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Gener
Monsters
JUVENILE FICTION / Girls & Women
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
Goblins
JUVENILE FICTION / Humorous Stories
JUVENILE FICTION / Monsters

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