I Wanna Iguana

by Karen Kaufman Orloff, David Catrow (Illustrator)

Alex just has to convince his mom to let him have an iguana, so he puts his arguments in writing. He promises that she won't have to feed it or clean its cage or even see it if she doesn't want to. Of course Mom imagines life with a six-foot-long iguana eating them out of house and home. Alex's reassurances: It takes fifteen years for an iguana to get that big. I'll be married by then and probably living in my own house. and his mom's replies: How are you going to get a girl to marry you when you own a giant reptile? will have kids in hysterics as the negotiations go back and forth through notes. And the lively, imaginative illustrations show their polar opposite dreams of life with an iguana.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Family, Realistic Fiction, Writing

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2004

About the author

Karen Kaufman Orloff is the author of many books for children including I Wanna Iguana, I Wanna New Room, and I Wanna Go Home, all inspired by her son’s pet iguana who quickly grew to be over four feet long and take over his room. She also writes a humorous column on family life every other week for The Poughkeepsie Journal.

Reviews

[Karen Laszuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as a writing prompt. We read the story I Wanna Iguana and then discussed the idea of persuasive writing. The students were asked to try and convince their parents to give them a new pet. What made this project really exciting was that the children took their booklet home every night and their parents wrote back to them. I made it perfectly clear to the children and the parents that each time mom and dad were to say NO! We had a blast each morning as they brought back their parents' responses. The children were so excited it took the first 15 minutes each day to read aloud all their parents' letters. This project resulted in such high engagement from my students I just had to share!

[Diana Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman is a funny, amazing and clever book to read when teaching about persuasive writing. Alex, the main character, tries to convince his mom to let him have his friend’s iguana as a pet. Alex and his mom go back and forth through the use of letters. The exchange of letters and the arguments of both mom and son are sure to evoke laughter and smiles. I read this book with my first graders and they really enjoyed it. The letters were a great example of persuasive writing as we got to know both characters point of view. My students were engaged and curious about if the son would convince his mom. This book tied into our persuasive writing unit perfectly. I highly recommend it for grades K-4.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this story when teaching about persuasive writing. The little boy in this story really wants an iguana. He writes letters to his mom to try to convince her to allow him to get one. It's very cute and sure to provide a laugh to your elementary school students. : )

[Madissen · Rating 1 out of 5]

for some reason i thought it was weird I don't really know why.I just thought it was weird

[Michelle Breniser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic Fiction. K-3. How many debates have parents had about things their children want?! Too many to count. I love it that in this book the child and mother are writing short letters to each other. This could be a great mentor text for teaching beginning letter writing to a class. Its great to see the boy model a respectful and well thought out approach to asking for what he wants. I still wouldn't want the iguana in my house!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story about a child and his mom each using their logic and negotiating skills to work out the child's request for a pet iguana.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through a series of letters back and forth, Alex tries with written correspondence to convince his mom that he should have Mikey Gulligan's baby iguana when he moves away, to save it from Stinky and Stinky's dog Lurch who will try and eat it. A great debate with rebuttal from both parties over the issue. Which way will it end up?

[Rachel Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex just has to convince his mom to let him have an iguana, so he puts his arguments in writing. He promises that she won't have to feed it or clean its cage or even see it if she doesn't want to. Of course Mom imagines life with a six-foot-long iguana eating them out of house and home. Alex's reassurances: It takes fifteen years for an iguana to get that big. I'll be married by then and probably living in my own house. and his mom's replies: How are you going to get a girl to marry you when you own a giant reptile? will have kids in hysterics as the negotiations go back and forth through notes. And the lively, imaginative illustrations show their polar opposite dreams of life with an iguana.

[Nadya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: I love how this story is written in notes back and forth from son to mother. I read this story a long time when I was younger and it brought back memories when I wanted a pet hamster. I begged and begged my parents to let me have one. I am sure a lot of other children wanted a pet too and would relate to this story. This story is basically about Alex wanting a pet iguana and his mother does not know if he is ready to have one and be responsible with it. I love this story!


Learning Experience: The students share their experience about when they wanted a pet. This will let the other children listen about someone else’s adventures with getting a pet.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book with a 2nd grade class to introduce persuasive writing. It is a good piece to show children effective persuasion skills. The majority of the book is in letter format. It is always a good idea to expose children to this format, as it is not too common anymore.
This book can be used as a way to convince children that old fashioned letter writing as a great message in itself, whether it is written to persuade the reader or to just say hello.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very charming story about a little boy Alex who wants his friend Mikey's iguana. "If Alex doesn't take it, it'll go to Spike, and Spike's dog will eat it!" Alex relays all his thoughts and desires to his mother through 'letters' and of course she returns with her own.

Highly recommended as a read-aloud. Great illustrations too.

[Melissa Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful little story. The narrative is told through letters between Alex and his mum. Alex is trying his hardest to convince his mum that it would be best if he got this iguana and how well he will take care of it. The illustrations are colourful and imaginative.

[Maria Caplin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searching for mentor text on opinion writing...perfect going to use it to show my students how the main character brings facts into his letter to his mom. Perfect short text to support all learners. Illustrations are fun too.

[Anna Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Wanna Iguana is the story of young Alex and his extreme desire to take is friends iguana after he moves. This story is told through letters between Alex and his mother as Alex tries to convince her to let him have the iguana. After much back and forth and some compromising, Alex finally convinces his mom. This book is great to introduce young students to persuasive writing as we see this in Alex’s notes to his mom. This book would also be great to teach students about the responsibility of pets and how they take time, work and money to take are of. This book provides many laughs for young readers as Alex goes through the process of convincing his mom. A critique I have for this book is that there is a page where Alex’s mom says he will not get married if he has a giant iguana, my critique for this is that it may discourage kids from being who they are and doing the things they love in order to impress others.

A way to use this in the classroom beside persuasive writing could be to teach students how to write letters. All of the letters always start with “dear Alex,” or “dear mom” and have a clever ending that will no doubt keep the reader engaged. This illustrations add to the laughter in this book as we see Alex in fifteen years with a six foot iguana wrapped around his chair, or Alex and the giant iguana riding on. A bike together. All around this is a funny book that has some great teaching points to it.

[Ashley Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because it is a great book to share persuasive writing. This story is about a boy that is trying to convince his mom to get him an iguana for a pet. The mother and son write letters back and forth to each other. In each letter the little boy writes a reason that an iguana would be the best pet for him and why he should get one. This book is a realistic fiction story because it could happen in real life but did not happen.

A strategy that I would use with this book is having it be an anchor text for teaching opinion writing. I would read the book to the students and have the class come up with the opinion statement and evidence to support the opinion using the book. The students would complete their pre-write graphic organizer using this book as an example. The book will provide an example of having an opinion about something and using strong evidence to support your opinion. I would also use it an example of using strong vocabulary words throughout the text.

An extension activity would be to introduce letter writing. Throughout the book the son and mother write letters back and forth to each other. Students could use these letters as examples of parts of a letter. Then students can write their own letter to a friend or a family member.

[Phylicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Wanna Iguana is about a young boy who does his best to convince his mother that he is mature enough and capable of taking care of a pet iguana. Through letters back and forth, Alex makes his case, giving one well-thought reason after another. Through a well crafted and letter correspondence, Alex is able to convince his mother to allow him to bring home the iguana. This is such a creative take on an epistolary book. The entire book is written in the letters a mother and son write back and forth to one another. Alex, who feels so strongly about his position, is inspired to go as far as writing a letter to prove his maturity and thoughtfulness. Often times, children may feel like a lot of things are out of their control (because they typically are). However, Alex beats the odds and is able to prove to his mother that this is a task that he can handle. He truly goes above and beyond in an effort to see through what he wants. What is truly wonderful is that this entire book is a conversation where Alex is given a voice that is being heard by his mother. When children are feeling voiceless and unseen, this book can be a great go-to to prove what they can accomplish.

[Kayce Harr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book involves a young boy named Alex who writes a series of notes back and forth with his mother trying to persuade her to let him have his friend Mikey’s baby iguana when he the time comes for Mikey to move. Alex comes up with what he feels are many good reasons that he should get to have the iguana, but his mom had a counter to each one. Eventually Alex’s mom asks what would happen if she gave him a trial run. Alex explains exactly how he would care for the iguana and a few more letters later he had convinced his mother to let him have the iguana.
I liked how the pictures in the book were super silly and full of color because I think most kids would be attracted to the images and could really digest the story more.
This book demonstrates some good persuasion techniques, so I would use this book with a unit on persuasive writing. Since the book is also written in a series of notes you could also include that into a lesson on different ways to write (essay, letter, email, notes, etc.).

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex really wants his friend Mikey Gulligan’s baby iguana when he moves so he is writing letters to his mom about all the reasons why he should get the iguana like they are cute a quiet, it will be like his friend, and he’ll take care of it all on his own. But his mom doesn’t think it’s a good idea and is writing letters back to him turning down all of his silly reasons. Slowly as the book continues his mom starts to consider letting him have the iguana on a trial bases but warns him that it will be a lot of work and he will have to keep his promises to taking care of it. This story made me laugh because it reminds me so much of the conversations I would have with my parents when I would try to convince them I needed something like a pet or a toy. I feel like this story is a good example that if you really want something you should always be polite and never get mad and if you negotiate and promise to be responsible you might be able to get what you really want.

[Bailey Mruzik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy named Alex badly wants the iguana that his friend is getting rid of, but his mom is quite against it. To convince her, Alex writes her multiple letters saying how responsible he is and how bad he wants it. She always responds saying no and their letters go back and forth. Alex continues to try and convince her, and at the end of the book, she finally agrees and Alex gets the iguana he wanted.
A literary element used in this book is putting the story in the form of first-person letters between Alex and his mom. This is a different and unique way to tell a story.
I rated this book 3 stars because I liked the letter format to tell the story. I also liked the pictures and the color scheme the author used. Finally, I think this book is relatable for children as many of them beg their parents for pets.

[Ma Jiani（Marjorie） · Rating 5 out of 5]

The text tells Alex and his mother to take notes with each other and try to convince her to let him get pet iguanas. Alex uses his convincing power because he and his mother have an interesting and intelligent debate about his pet iguana. The wonderful thing about this book is that it uses the text of the letter to describe the protagonist's argument. He promised that if she didn't want to, she wouldn't have to feed it or clean the cage or even see it. It turns out that when negotiations go back and forth through notes, there are some interesting things that happen. The lively and imaginative illustrations at the same time demonstrate their extreme opposite dreams with iguanas. This has a model textual role for students in setting up narrative plots.

[Amanda Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a hilarious read for kids! ...it is also fun for adults who have spent literally any time in discussion with kids

The character in the story is trying to convince his mother that he should have a pet iguana, and the entire story is written as a series of persuasive letters between the protagonist and his mother. I have used this book in the classroom to teach about persuasive writing as well as letter writing. Kids are usually really quick to share about things that they would like, and the letters that Alex writes are great inspiration for young writers just starting to think about sharing their reasoning in writing.

[Kelsey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to read this book all the time when I was younger and it actually inspired me to write my parents letters asking them for things I really wanted. Alex and his mother write letters back and forth talking about how Alex really wants an Iguana. He does all his research and begs and pleads in his funny letters. His mom writes back even funnier responses but eventually through valid arguments he wins. This book is super funny but also teaches kids a great lesson that if they really want permission for something, a handwritten letter and some research that proves why you want it could maybe help you get it.

[Hira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Wanna Iguana follows Alex and his mom's conversation about getting a pet iguana. Through a series of interesting letters, Alex and his mom discuss the pros and cons of possibly taking care of a huge reptile. As their negotiations go on, students cannot help but choose which side they would be on. This story is familiar to all children who have ever tried to convince their parents to do or get them anything. As an educator, this story lends itself well to the ideas of persuasive language and writing letters. Alex's conversation with his mom is definitely one to remember, but will Alex ever get his pet iguana? Overall, this is a very fun read for adults and children!

[Bailey Sulfridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alex is a young boy who desperately wants a pet iguana. So he convinces his mom of reasons why he should get one. He makes several promises such as "you wont have to clean out it's cage" and "it takes several years to get big and I will probably be living on my own then." His mother has a very different image of living with a pet iguana and is reluctant but eventually lets Alex get a pet Iguana named Spike. This story would be useful in teaching how to write a letter in writing as well as persuasive writing.

[Brittney Noyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. A little boy, Alex is trying to convince his mom that he needs an iguana. He writes letters back and forth with his mom trying to convince her. He is very persuasive. He says in one letter that he will even buy the food for his iguana! In the end, the mom agrees to let Alex keep the iguana for a trial run to see if he really takes care of it. This book reminded me of when I tried to convince my mom to get me and my siblings a puppy. This book would be good to read in the classroom to introduce persuasive techniques.

[Nicholas King · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I Wanna Iguana" is an excellent children's book with many bright and colorful illustrations. The book has a cute story line that kids can relate to. The boy (Alex) keeps writing letters to his mom about how he wants an iguana very badly and does his best to convince her. Alex's mom then writes back to him throughout the story. The book is pretty humorous but also sweet in that his mom was not huge into the idea of him getting an iguana but in the end his mom surprises him by buying him the iguana.

[Brigitte Brulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, I wanted an iguana (not sure why because I do not want one in my house at all now), so I had to read this when I first saw it. The book is a series of letters back and forth from a child who wants an iguana and his mother. I found some of the letters to be quite entertaining especially when the child tries to convince his mom that the iguana could be like a brother to him and his mom reminds him he already has a brother. Just a warning: if drawings of tarantulas creep you out, you may want to skip one of the pages. Overall, a silly book.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story of young boy's persuasion letters to his mom about trying to get an iguana for a pet. Each letter became nicer and sweeter than the previous one and eventually almost guilting his mother into getting his ideal pet. His mother shows him the hard work and responsibility that goes into getting a pet of his own, to which he is sure he can do and promises to do. Great illustrations that the children loved to see how the 6 foot iguana was put into different everyday situations. Beautiful book!

[Kathleen Vincent]

Written in back and forth letters, Alex tries to convince his parents that he should get an iguana as a pet. He writes all of the reasons he SHOULD get an iguana, while his mom responds with all of the reasons he SHOULDN'T have an iguana. In the end, will Alex convince his parents or will an iguana continue to be a distant wish?

I use this as a mentor text when teaching about persuasive/opinion writing. As a class, we identify Alex's opinion and list all of the reasons he mentions in wanting an iguana while also writing his mom's opinion and her reasons.

[Lyla Muhlenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very creative and unique. It's about a boy who tries to convince his mother to let him have a pet iguana by writing letters back and forth. Alex writes a letter almost everyday and leaves them in random spots throughout the house. I think this book is very creative and the illustrations are great as well. It is a book that I highly recommend and would love to have in my future class room someday.