Petey and Pru and the Hullabaloo

by Ammi-Joan Paquette, Joy Ang (Illustrations)

Petey is enjoying a peaceful afternoon of gardening when his good friend Pru starts to cause trouble. Petey reacts in turn, and before long, things have escalated from a scuffle to a tussle to a true hullabaloo! This beautifully illustrated story about the true meaning of friendship is packed with excitement and near disaster as well as vocabulary-expanding words that are fun to say and thrilling to master. Glossary.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Animals, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2013

About the author

Ammi-Joan Paquette has never met a ghost, mummy, monster, skeleton, or witch — as far as she knows. This book, she says, was inspired by a game she used to play with her sister: "Most of the details have been lost to time, but I still remember the shivery thrill I got when we played it. So, I drew on that same energy to write a spooky picture book, which eventually became A Ghost in the House." In addition to writing, Joan is also a literary agent representing authors of children’s books. She lives outside Boston with her family.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely vocabulary words, but I felt bad for Petey. I do love that Pru doesn't change, but I wish she had helped to clean up a bit. Ah well.

I would like to read it in a storytime because the words are fun to say but I am wondering if one-on-one Reading would be better to explain the words?

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Petey is content with tranquil activities like gardening but Pru aims mischievously to create chaos. Will these friends learn to resolve their conflict? Either way, they are certain to adopt a few new vocabulary words. In most picture books, readers are unlikely to encounter jargon as jazzy as, “brouhaha” or “serendipity” but the narration in this story embraces scintillating language by setting emboldened terms in the context of a very simple plot. Children will enjoy how the lively illustrations animate each unfamiliar phrase. A particularly dramatic and artistic full-page-spread reads, “Swash!” as translucent water sprays over the characters’ heads to reveal pandemonium. This delightfully brief publication may challenge its audience to invent definitions for the showcased phrases.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a picture book that uses my favorite word: defenestration!

Adorable illustrations (the same artist as Mustache Baby) and while the rhythm of the book itself felt a bit off at the end, it still was hilarious and had nice vocabulary. And I can't say no to that tricksy grin.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute story with very good illustrations. Petey wants tranquility and Pru is up to no good. In the ensuing chaos they find true friendship.

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I absolutely LOVE reading this book together! Incredible plot, language that rivets, and so clever! It's a hit!

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the story, two friends-one is enjoying quiet and the other is creating chaos. Interesting multi-syllabic (sesquipedalian) words are thrown into the mix of the story increasing the reading level to be read aloud to a child. Petey's friend, Pru, is a pest and creates chaos wherever she is for Petey and the pets in the house. A description of how many siblings play. It helps that the multi-syllabic words are defined on the endpapers helping the adult reader to explain these fun-to-repeat words for children.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fairly certain this was modeled after my kids.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful with excellent illustrations

[Edshara · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of our most read library books, even if the little one doesn’t know it. I thoroughly enjoyed the vocabulary and the illustrations were fantastic.

[Aurora · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is great, and I guess it would be fun to read aloud? But I didn’t really like the story/message.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun book! A great way to introduce new vocabulary.

[Ashley Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this story! So bright and colorful. The vocabulary words are fun and new for their little ears!

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petey is just trying to work on his garden in peace, when Pru decides to play a prank with the aid of some furry feline friends. After Pru's prank (assisted by her cacophonous clowder of cats), Petey is angry with her, and after an attempt to get revenge the two friends actions have caused Petey's garden to be completely destroyed. Will the two friends be able to make things right with each other? Or is this the end of their friendship?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book is very cute, with a unique illustration style.

Some of the art looks similar to computer-generated images to me, or like you'd see in a cartoon. They're very cute, especially the animals.

It has an interesting and fun story, and I think it would appeal to readers of many different ages.
Some of the vocabulary is a little high (I didn't learn the word defenestration until I was taking a uni-level history course), but they show the word alongside a picture of what is happening so the readers understand what is going on. It's a good way for students to learn new words in a way that's fun for them.

I would definitely recommend this book.

[Regina L · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Petey and Pru and the Hullaballo” by Ammi-Joan Paquette is a children’s book celebration of big, adult words, in the most fun way! It encourages new vocabulary : tranquil, chaos, peeved, mayhem, demolished, and many more words that will require explanation but that rhyme and flow so well to create the storyline on the book. Getting to know the vocabulary will keep the book fun and fresh and I think older elementary children will enjoy learning these words and trying to use them in every day speech. The message is also about unlikely friendships, and how it is not a good idea to be a trouble maker with your friends, as things can escalate quickly. Only when the shenanigans stop can the friendship resume. This book is chock full of excitement and loud chaos that screams from the page. Your child will get a kick out of the howling cats and scuffle between the cats and dog! The illustrations by Joy Ang are bold and dramatic, with bright colors and busy action, and look charmingly Disney Pixar-esque! Read more at www.diapers-and-daydreams.com

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I'm not sure how much I would enjoy having Pru in my life, she certainly guarantees that there's never a dull moment in the life of Petey, her friend. She interrupts his gardening with a chorus of singing felines, and he responds with a canine assault. By the time the dust settles, the garden is a mess, and the friends are at each other's throats. They eventually settle their differences, but the last page shows that Pru hasn't learned her lesson. The digital illustrations are drenched with color and movement, and the book brims with unusual words that are fun to say aloud, including cacophony, brouhaha, skedaddle, and shenanigans, among others. Not only is this one fun to read aloud, but it offers several great examples of word choice for writers trying to try out some new words. The endpapers contain all the words used in the story as well as providing brief definitions for them.

[Nanci Booher · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorable story. Petey wishes to be tranquil...Pru is always feeling tricksy. When Petey's gardening is interrupted by Pru's mayhem what results is total and complete brouhaha. Great illustrations that remind me a bit of a fairy tale along with an adorable dog and lots of kitty cats. The thing that I likes most was the definition of the very big words, written on the inside of the back and front covers....reminded me a bit of Fancy Nancy. Definitely a book worth adding to the collection at school.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Petey and Pru are two very different friends who share an action packed day of near catastrophes while using vocabulary increasing words. The illustrations are bright and full of expression. Parents may want take advantage of the glossary on the inside and back cover of the book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun adventure that uses some great big words, its a little awkward that some are real and others are on the "made-up", and some are harder to define from the context when the illustrations are vague.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uses some interesting vocab that children might not see in other picture books. A look at a friendship between two people, one of whom seems to be a bit more quiet and the other who likes a little chaos in her life.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very different friends have an adventure together. The illustrations by Joy Ang are what made thsi for me. Bright and detailed, the capture the action fantastically! I particularly like the spread where Pru is spraying everything with water.

[Lydia Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book and the use of funny big words for children. I love the character Pru but I am more of a Petey person myself. Pru goal seems to never let Petey have a tranquil moment. The friendship they have is adorable but that Pru is one trickster.

[Ellen L. Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that features two kids—one tranquil, one tricksy, and lots of splendiferous words. One kid creates calm, the other creates caterwauling, cacophony, and chaos! The book is a delightful romp through the shenanigans of these two characters.

[Akoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter enjoyed this one a lot. It has funny and spunky words. Lots of fun rhymes and the story is full of mayhem thanks to "tricksy" Prue. Definitely a must read for kids who only give you (the parent or guardian) 3 to 5 min for story time.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one absolutely tickled me, especially being a lover of big long vocabulary words. The illustrations are adorable, and I sincerely hope that small children who read it will walk around exclaiming some of these excellent words.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gets an extra star for the illustrations because I love Joy Ang's art! The story is charming, and introduces some new words to the readers vocabulary, fun words like 'tricksy' and 'peeved'. A good little book for sure, especially if you want to add a little chaos to your day.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun words storytime

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vibrant, lively story using vocabulary words that are fun to say out loud.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The vocab in this one is great and the story helps illustrate the meaning. This would be a good pick for an Language Arts classroom.

[Katie Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story and illustrations. Awesome vocabulary! :-)

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so great - with its bright colors, groovy art, delectable vocabulary, and rambunctious action... why is the cover (and the title) so unappealing? Grmph.