Lizard from the Park

June 15, 2015
Curly-haired, brown-skinned Leonard finds a large egg in Central Park, takes it home, and plays with it, all with an air of quiet wonder. When a lizardlike creature busts forth from the egg, he names it—naturally—Buster. “Leonard couldn’t wait to show this new friend the world outside.” Readers will enjoy picking out New York City landmarks as Leonard shows Buster the Museum of Natural History and Monet’s water lilies, then reads to him between the paws of one of the majestic “library lions.” Buster’s fast growth signals trouble, and Leonard tries several fixes, including disguising Buster in a fedora and sunglasses. The winning solution involves many balloons and a famous parade. In the final pages, Buster is revealed as a creation of Leonard’s imagination, and the boy finds a human friend—someone who has been courting him throughout, readers will see. Sometimes, Pett (The Girl and the Bicycle) suggests, fantasy can blind us to gifts that are right in front of us. Muted colors and low-key prose give this dinosaur tale unusual restraint. Ages 4–8. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency.

Starred review from June 15, 2015
The tale of a sizable sidekick for one competent kid. Leonard, a curly-haired, brown-skinned little boy, finds an egg in the park one day and takes it home to his apartment on the top floor of a tall building. In the morning, Leonard witnesses his "lizard" busting out of its egg, prompting the name "Buster." Though a trusty companion who accompanies Leonard on all of his jaunts around the city, the lizard soon grows to a problematic size. The annual parade (with floats like those in Macy's Thanksgiving Parade) offers just the opportunity Leonard needs to find his buddy a new home. Pett's simple and sparse illustrations focus on Leonard and Buster by illustrating the pair in bright colors and other people and objects along the city streets in grayscale or dull colors. This highlights the book's amusing irony: despite the presence of a large green dinosaur in a busy city, nobody pays any attention to Leonard or Buster. In fact, Leonard roams the city from day to day without interruption or attention from parents or other interfering adults. He solves his own problems and takes care of the pet he has acquired of his own volition. As independent as Max and Ruby, as creative as purple-crayon-wielding Harold, and as dedicated a friend as Charlotte's Wilbur, Leonard will delight kids of all ages, regardless of habitat. (Picture book. 4-8)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-One day Leonard decides to take a shortcut home from school through the "deepest, darkest part of the park" and spots a big egg, unlike anything he has seen before. He takes it home to his top-floor apartment and plays with it all afternoon. Eventually, he snuggles up with it as he goes to bed. The next morning, the egg hatches and a lizard bursts through the shell. Leonard dubs him Buster and together, the friends travel all over the city, ride the subway, read in front of the New York Public Library, and visit the Museum of Natural History. However, Buster is getting larger and larger and seems less happy than before. Leonard tries many things to help Buster fit in and enjoy the city, but Buster continues to grow and grow; he needs to be with his family again in the "deepest, darkest part of the park." In the fall, Leonard gathers up all the balloons he can find, joins the Thanksgiving Day parade and floats Buster back home. Leonard still cuts through the park sometimes, but along the way he discovers a new friend, one who has cleverly been hidden on the book's pages watching the action all along. Created with charcoal and painted digitally, the illustrations are softly drawn, and the layout of the text is easy on the eye. VERDICT A sweet and subtle offering that lets readers discover new things about the story on each rereading.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2015
Preschool-G After Leonard carries home an unusual egg from the park, his small discovery turns into an enormous challenge. Soon the egg starts to jiggle and crack, and a little green lizard smashes his way out of the shell, earning him the name Buster. Leonard is thrilled to have a new friend and quickly scoops him up, intent on showing him his favorite places in the city. They go to museums and the library and ride the train, spending their mornings together, their afternoons together, and . . . their in-betweens together. As time passes, Buster grows and growsacquiring a dinosaurish physiqueuntil it becomes impossible for Leonard to take him out anymore. Unsurprisingly, being cooped up makes Buster sad, so Leonard devises a plan to reunite the lizard with his own kind. Pett's charcoal and digitally painted illustrations bring to mind Peter McCarty's T Is for Terrible (2004), as the soft lines and colors reflect the story's gentle tone and humor. A sweet story of friendship and life's hidden wonders.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)