The Great Pet Sale [Hardcover]

Mick Inkpen (Author), Mick Ankpen (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Attracted by a sale at the pet store, a boy tries to decide which animal to buy with his money.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The narrator of this beguiling lift-the-flap book spies a sign in a pet shop announcing: "Everything Must Go!"; an unexpected sales pitch ensues?as does an unobtrusive lesson in counting and adding. Hiding behind the lift-the-flap sign is a tiny rat missing half of his whiskers, calling, "I'm only 1 cent! Choose me!" As the rat tries to talk the boy out of purchasing a variety of other increasingly pricey pets, his tactics will amuse readers of all ages. Seeing three creatures, concealed under a sign advertising a salamander, skink and gecko, the child asks which one is which and the rat quips, "Nobody knows! Nobody cares!.... Sausages on legs! You don't want one of THOSE!" A gatefold with an unexpected pop-up brings this tale to a cheerful close. Funny text, an amiable menagerie, sturdy pages and some inventive extras (the rat has bitten off the corner of one page, to prove to his prospective owner that he isn't a fussy eater) make this paper-over-board volume almost as irresistible as its fast-talking protagonist. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-When a young boy sees a sign on the pet shop door proclaiming, "EVERYTHING MUST GO!" he enters-only to be badgered by a pesky rat who wants the boy to buy him. The rat, on sale for one cent, follows the youngster as he counts off the usual and unusual animals that are available at bargain rates. The price tags increase, all the way up to 10 cents, which would buy the boy a box of "assorted little brown creatures." "Boring! Boring! Boring!" shouts the rat. "I'm not boring!" The steal of the millennium is a Komodo dragon for just 25 cents. This silences the bothersome rat, who sadly exclaims, "You're not going to choose me, are you?" Inkpen keeps the pages clean and neat with plenty of white space surrounding his animals. Lift-the-flap tabs are utilized throughout the story, although they don't really offer any surprises. The back page folds out to show the boy counting his cash ("$1.00 exactly") and collecting his purchases-the entire store, including the rat.
Lisa Gangemi Krapp, formerly at Sousa Elementary School, Port Washington, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 16 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531301303
• ISBN-13: 978-0531301302
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,680,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mick Inkpen is one of the top-selling picture book artists and writers in the world. The Kipper and Wibbly Pig stories have millions of readers worldwide. He has won the British Book Award twice for Lullabyhullaballoo and Penguin Small and the Children's Book Award for Threadbear. He has also been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Smarties Award three times, winning Bronze for Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear. In addition to this, Kipper won a BAFTA for best animated children's film in 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my son loves this book!, October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Pet Sale (Hardcover)

My two and a half year old son loves reading this book! He loves to see the rat on every page, and enjoys discovering the animals behind the flaps. Wonderful ending too. Mick Inkpen is great as usual. We have read this book at least twice a day for the last few weeks!

5.0 out of 5 stars Great math skills as well as a great book, January 2, 2005

By 

Laura Arone (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Pet Sale (Paperback)

I had to buy my own copy of this book after finding it in the public library and reading it to my Kindergarten class. The children love the story. I usually change my voice to sound like a very cute but annoying rat. The children also get a kick when they see how the rat has eaten part of a page from the book. I use this book every year to teach money skills to my children. The low price tags and good clear pictures make it a must. We add up the cost of all the animals and see if the total is correct. We also give the children different amounts of money to go shopping with in the Pet Store. An excellent investment!!!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful for math skills. Whimsical, humorous get-down fun, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Pet Sale (Hardcover)

Fun and challenging developer of math skills. Wonderful for pet/animal lovers. Best rat character ever. Small children/pre-schoolers will love the pictures and pull tabs. Older school age children will be challenged by the math.