The ingenious author of
17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore and a brilliant illustrator and production designer of the
Coraline movie have created a hilarious, touching picture book perfect for young animal lovers. Like the Caldecott Medal-winning
Officer Buckle and Gloria, Sparky stars a pet who has more to offer than meets the eye. When our narrator orders a sloth through the mail, the creature that arrives isn't good at tricks or hide-and-seek . . . or much of anything. Still, there's something about Sparky that is irresistible.
Winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award
Jenny Offill is the author of
17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore, a
Parenting Magazine Best Book of the Year and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, and
11 Experiments That Failed, also a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year, which
Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, called “the most joyful and clever whimsy.” Learn more at jennyoffill.com.
Chris Appelhans was selected as the Children’s Choice Illustrator of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards for
Sparky!, his first picture book. The book received two starred reviews, including one from
Booklist declaring, “Appelhans is a revelation.” Chris has also worked on several films, as an illustrator and a production designer for
Coraline, an environment designer for
Fantastic Mr. Fox, and a visual development artist for
The Princess and the Frog.
