Super Guinea Pig to the Rescue

by Udo Weigelt, Nina Spranger (Illustrations)

Little guinea pig is obsessed with his favorite TV show and with its star, Super Guinea Pig. Every day he tunes in to watch Super Guinea Pig save the world from evil and terrible disasters. And every day he ignores his friends―an old hound dog, a yellow bird, and a plump goldfish―to watch his hero. When they start making fun of little guinea pig and asking why his new best friend never visits him, he dresses up as Super Guinea Pig to teach his friends a lesson. Leaping and acting like his hero, little guinea pig gets himself into a bit of trouble and calls upon Super Guinea Pig for help. Will Super Guinea Pig rescue him or will his real friends save the day?

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Superheroes, Humor, Storytime, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2006

About the author

Udo Weigelt was born in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. After secondary school he began his training in business but soon stopped to attend the College for Graphics and Design. In 1987 he finished his further education by studying German and history. Udo Weigelt has written many children’s books for North-South Books that have been translated into numerous languages. He also writes under the pseudonyms of E.T.W. Igel and Moritz Petz.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not actually about a rodent superhero, but rather a "message" book about not being a jerk friend.

Possibly also about not watching so much tv.



Guinea Pig doesn't hold a candle to the amazing Chickens to the Rescue.

[oliviasbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endearing canvas paintings that illustrate the double message:
"Spending time with real friends who care about you is way better than idolizing TV Superheros. And you don't need to impress your friends by playing superhero, because they like you anyway for being you."

And ... I love the giggle-worthy title: "Wonder-Guinea-Pig Saves the World". Isn't it perfect?

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story is fine, but the illustration is fantastic : ) I wonder if it was originally published in German. Sometimes non-British European picture books seem to have a slightly different sensibility to me as far as the story goes.

[Lanyisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little story about a guinea pig that went out of his way to impress his friends. He told a little white lie that he had to back up by pretending to be a super hero from a TV show. The author used an ambiguous ending with this story. We never found out if the guinea pig ever became friends with the rest of the house pets. I used this book during a read aloud with my tutee. I would say that the author did a good job with the ambitious ending because as soon as I finished reading the book my tutee asked me, "is that the end? What happened?" I just told my tutee that he had to use his imagination to figure out the ending of the story. He wasn't too pleased with that answer, but I could tell it left my tutee thinking. I could use this strategy to teach that you actually build suspense at the end of story by leaving it ambiguous. I would tell my students that every story or writing doesn't have to have a solid ending. This could even keep your audience interested and wanting more.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous tale about a group of household pets who seem more like siblings. The story is entertaining, but the watercolor and acrylic illustrations are absolutely wonderful. I love the expressions on the pets' faces; they are so adorable. And the lampshade is hideously wonderful.

This story was originally written in German, and I can see the European styling. It makes me wish I could read German, so I could read the original dialogue. The English translation is very good, but it makes me wonder if it reads even better in German.

I love that the group still embraces guinea pig as one of the group, despite his brief display of lunacy. Overall, it's a terrific tale and we really enjoyed reading it together.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book! The artist used to work as a graphic designer, and I love how she combined illustrative style with her superb compositional design and fun graphics/colors. (The front cover illustration doesn't do the rest of the book justice) That being said, it was one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. When Natalie and I got to the end, we both thought the last page must be missing, as we couldn't tell the story had ended. Really lame.

[Green Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are phenomenal! Super Guinea Pig to the Rescue is a sweet story about the importance of friendship as well as a cautionary tale about the hazards of getting sucked into the world of television. The writing is not superb, but the illustrations are so wonderful that they make this book an engaging experience none the less. Might be a good teacher read for Turn Off Your TV Week.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one mostly for the illustrations. The animals are really cute. The story is good, too. A lesson on friendship in there if one wants to find it. A great possibility for a storytime considering the voices that could be used, an actual plot that would keep the kids interested, and pictures that tell the story well.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The guinea pig in this story ignores all those around him each day in order to watch his favorite TV program, Super Guinea Pig. Eventually tired of being ignored, his friends begin to mock him. Guinea pig dresses as Super Guinea Pig to teach his friends a lesson. He acts like a super-hero and gets himself into trouble. Will his friends help him out of his bind? Who REALLY learned a lesson?

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam got this for his b-day and it was instantly chosen as his favorite book for us to read in his kindergarten class for his "birthday party" at school. Super fun and super cute story about a silly guinea pig and the importance of true friends.

[Ghislaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly odd illustrations; the dog is sort of ugly, but it's a style thing. Cute story, and realistic (though anthropomorphic) portrayal of some very basic human behaviors and relationships.

[Arminzerella · Rating 1 out of 5]

The guinea pig's dreams were so easily quelled! Disappointing.

[Behemoth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care for this one; the message seems to be that guinea pigs should temper their imaginations, and I just don't agree with that.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

A guinea pig gets upset when his fellow pets make fun of his favorite television superhero, and so he makes a costume and pretends to be Super Guinea Pig himself.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings, nice message about "real friends" who help out in times of need versus tv characters.