Please Don't Upset P.U. Zorilla [Hardcover]

Lynn Rowe Reed (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

P.U. Zorilla is looking for a job, and has many talents, for a skunk. He's good with children, he's good with animals, and he knows a lot about baseball. He's good at many jobs -- but there's one small problem: whenever P.U. Zorilla gets ruffled, he can't control his spray! Which is why everyone must not upset P.U. Zorilla.

But at every job he tries, something does upset P.U. Zorilla, and he has the place skunk-sprayed in no time. But this persistent skunk won't give up--somewhere out there is the perfect job for P.U. Zorilla, and he's determined to find it!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–When P.U. Zorilla needs work, Mayor Tootlebee does his utmost to find the right duties for the skunk. He tries him as a school-bus driver, a popcorn seller at baseball games, and assistant at a pet shop. But each job ends promptly when P.U. gets upset and the inevitable odorous cloud emerges (to a chorus of PEE-U-U-U-U! from surrounding offendees). He ends up as the town's police chief. The funky, somewhat homely art uses a mixture of paint and collage to create a minimalist, almost childlike effect. The characters are set against bright, solid backgrounds that barely contain the action. Dav Pilkey's Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis (Scholastic, 1994) mines the same territory with more success, although children who can't get enough of gross will enjoy this innocent stinker's escapades.–Marge Loch-Wouters, Menasha Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Lynn Rowe Reed is the award-winning illustrator and author of Thelonius Turkey Lives! and Punctuation Takes A Vacation. She lives in Indiana. The author lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1ST edition (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375836543
• ISBN-13: 978-0375836541
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,327,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Screen Before Reading to your Child, March 2, 2009

By 

Book Princess (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Don't Upset P.U. Zorilla (Hardcover)

We recently read this book with my 3 1/2 year old and I was astonished to find the violence that was included in the book. I quickly jumped over the pages without reading the words but my child started asking questions about the man with the mask and a baseball bat and why the lady was hurt--all this from just seeing the pictures. A young child does not need to be exposed to this type of imagery and subject matter in a lite hearted children's book.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars stinks as much as the skunk himself, January 15, 2010

By 

kimd (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Don't Upset P.U. Zorilla (Hardcover)

I've been teaching infants, toddlers, and preschoolers for 18 years (bachelor's degree in early childhood education), and this is one of the worst books I've ever seen. The plot revolves around P.U.'s inability to control his trademark bodily function, which struck me and my co-workers as just plain odd and gross--and we deal with diapers, toileting, runny noses, etc. every day! (Potty humor is generally a natural phase, but who wants to imply that passing gas might make you a hero?) As another reviewer here also said, there are some violent scenes in the book, including a full-out brawl on the skunk's school bus, complete with hair-pulling, shoving, gnashed teeth and tears. The quirky illustrations, which might be cute in a book with a better story, only make it worse.

There are plenty of picture books about turning your weaknesses into strengths, finding your place in the world, overcoming failure/persevering, and liking yourself. Just a few examples: The Little Engine that Could, Put me in the Zoo, Oh the Places You'll Go, Edward the Emu and (on a more serious tack for older kids) I Think, I Am: Teaching Kids the Power of Affirmations, by Louise L. Hay. You'll find beautiful and silly illustrations, endearing characters, Suess' wonderful word-play, and everything that "Zorilla" intends to be, but isn't.

5.0 out of 5 stars A hilarious tale, June 10, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Please Don't Upset P.U. Zorilla (Hardcover)

Lynn Rowe Reed's PLEASE DON'T UPSET P.U. ZORILLA! tells of a talented skunk who needs a job and who only has one problem: when he becomes rattled, he can't control his spray. So everyone has to watch out not to upset him - but that's a hard idea. Is there any job for a hardworking but sensitive sprayer? A hilarious tale evolves.