8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Taratula in My Purse a review by:Krissy, November 15, 2001
By A Customer
Have you ever taken a frog home that you found in the woods? I bet your mom told you to put it outside immediately. Well, if you went to the Georges' household, the setting of my story, that is all you would find! Tarantulas, crows, owls, fish, frogs, you name it and you will probably find it roaming freely in the house. Jean Craighead George, the mother and protagonist, was raised to love animals and keep them as her pets, so she brought up her three children the same way. You probably can't believe that someone would keep a skunk as a lovable pet, but they did!
The only animal you wouldn't hear about in their house was a bear! The Georges even had a pond, as real as one outside, in their house built by their neighbor who worked with cement. Read this book and find out why all the fish in their pond start dying. Find out why they had to get rid of a crow as viscous as a hunting dog, or how they found a baby bird as small as a cotton ball that could fit in a teacup. It is all in the amazing and funny book The Tarantula in My Purse. I learned a lot of interesting facts from this book, and other times I couldn't stop laughing. This book was absolutely terrific and fun to read!
I thought this book was amazing! The people in my story instinctively kept wild animals as pets! Even when you had to get a special permit, they got one. I think it is hard enough having just a dog as a pet. I could hardly imagine acquiring so many wild pets and having to research exactly what they need. What amazes me is that it wasn't just their mother that did all the work and research, it was the kids too! They helped out, and researched and cleaned up after their animals. The children would never, not do something because it was too messy or they were afraid. Twig, one of those children, had an owl, Yammer, which was soft, gray, and loved television. One day Yammer was watching television stiff as a board, he fell off his perch. Immediately, Twig picked him up and cuddled with him just like he was her baby brother!
This book taught me to be a little more responsible when caring for my dog. They never complained when caring for their many wild pets. I really thought this was a good book to see how you should be responsible when caring for your pet if you want more and more!
The protagonists, a family of four, loved wild animals. One of them was a hard working mother. She was divorced when her children were young, so she had to work extremely hard to keep her children and animals happy. Before Jean Craighead George had kids she would go places and research animals. This family of Jean and her three children, Twig, Craig and Luke all researched animals over the years and knew a lot about them, just by taking them as pets. From the beginning of this story, until the end when her kids left and were now adults, the Georges had over one hundred seventy-two pets! Whether they stayed for a day or a year, whether they were a bird or a snake, Jean Craighead and her family took good care of them.
I thought the characters in my book were very different from most people I know. It would take me a lot of time to get used to living in their household. I am not used to having wild animals saunter around my house. The whole George family seemed jaunty. Although they had lots of difficulties with their wild pets, they never seemed to be very solemn or act gravely. Many times, though, I thought it would be fun to play with all the baby chicks, turtles and birds. I liked how the characters got the animals to love them and do all these funny things every time they wanted to play or eat. Finally, I enjoyed how passionate they were about their pets. You never had to tell them twice to play with their animals, because that was all they did!
So, do you think you love animals? Well, you should read this book to see how much you could really love animals and find out interesting facts. This book was terrific, it taught good morals and made you laugh, it even taught you some cool facts. I encourage you to read this book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great compliment to any biodiversity unit, November 2, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tarantula in My Purse: and 172 Other Wild Pets (Paperback)
Tarantula in My Purse offered a personal look at the many wondrous wild animals who have passed through the life of the George family. It gave students a glimpse of the respect and knowledge needed to properly care for a wild animal that will, ultimately, decide to what degree it will be "domesticated." The chapters are brief and to the point which facilitates the interest of young children while still teaching the many adaptations and often times humorous behaviors of wild animals. Thanks, Jean, for broadening our understanding of wild life and for letting so many students into your personal life.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It was the funniest book I have ever read, July 18, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: The Tarantula in My Purse: and 172 Other Wild Pets (Paperback)
This book is about kids and a mother who take home wild pets. Every chapter has at least one different pet. This realistic story teaches you about animals. The animals do funny things. For example, there is a duck with an arrest record. In another chapter, a crow acts like he can talk. I am an eight year old who loves to read.
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