Arthur's Pen Pal

Arthur the Chimpanzee

by Lillian Hoban

‘Arthur, in the role of a small male chauvinist chimp, is forced to change his views when he discovers that his pen pal, whose talent in karate and playing the drums Arthur envies, is really a girl.’ --SLJ. ‘Highly recommended for beginning readers grades K-2.’ --CL Children's Choices for 1977 (IRA/CBC)
Children's Books of 1976 (Library of Congress)

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, 1st Grade, Friendship, Fiction, Family

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

The youngest of three children, Lillian Hoban was born in Philadelphia on May 18, 1925. She attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, studied dance for ten years (and danced with the Martha Graham dancers), taught Modern Dance and danced professionally in the 1950s.
She learned to draw still life and began to write her own stories only after having children (Phoebe, Brom, Esme and Julia), and based her tales on their experiences.

Lillian Hoban's I-Can- Read-Books about Arthur the Chimpanzee, and the Frances books (written by her former husband Russell Hoban) continue to be extremely popular among children as time goes by- the hallmark of classics.

from http://www.lillianhoban.com/Biography...

Reviews

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

No sooner was David's laundry on his shelf than he was curled back up on the couch, reading this one. Dare I take him to the library today for more?

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur has a pen pal named Sandy, a boy who does karate and has an older brother. Arthur and his sister Violet are being babysat, and Arthur laments having a sister instead of a brother like Sandy. But when Sandy sends a picture, Arthur learns a surprise! I liked the ending and how Arthur was more appreciative of his sister and babysitter.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh, the joys of younger siblings, babysitters, and surprises!

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story with Arthur learning a lesson that boys aren't really all that different than girls. At the start of the story his little sister, Violet, is annoying him by asking too many questions. He is trying to write a letter to his penpal, Sandy, but keeps getting sidetracked. Frustrated, he tells Sandy that he is lucky to have an older brother.

But all is not as it first seems when Sandy responds to his letter. And, in the meantime, Violet shows Arthur that she is very good at activities that he finds hard to do. Funny at moments, the pictures that follow the story are very expressive.
You can't help but root for little Violet. She means well and admires her brother Arthur. The same feelings he has towards her by the end of the story.

Longer than some 'I Can Read' books, it is 64 pages and may take a young child a while to finish. Ages seven and up for the adventurous reader. 4*/5 for the humor and realistic family moments.

[Julie Grace Immink · Rating 2 out of 5]

The drawings are better then the writing

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids weren't too impressed with Arthur's attitude, but they loved the twist ending, and they enjoyed seeing Aruthr's transformation from being annoyed by Violet to thinking that she wasn't so bad after all.

[Willow]

I'm working on entering all the books I've ever read. This book was one of them. It's a children's book. I read this book a long time ago.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the story of arthur the monkey and how he makes a new frienda cute story of the relationship children have between each other, good early reader

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first in2books assignment of the year - really cute!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! Author was complaining to his pen pal about his little sister...but there's a surprise at the end.

[Vivian Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book to show just cause you might not be the best at one thing doesn't mean you aren't great at something else. It also goes against typical gender roles with sandy doing karate.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

AR Quiz No. 29967 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 3.1 - AR Pts: 0.5

[Anne White]

The first book our youngest read by herself.