I Wanna Iguana

Karen Orloff and David Catrow have teamed up in this one to give us a very funny story of a little boy, Alex, who wants very, very much to have his own pet Iguana. The problem is...obviously, Mom! The entire book is consists of notes, or mini-letters, written between Alex and his mom. The little boy of course is pointing out the obvious advantages of having his own lizard in his room (in his eyes), and his mom counters each note with her own note pointing out the obvious disadvantages of having a reptile in the home..a reptile that can possibly grow to several feet long!. The unique exchange of letters is absolutely hilarious. Each letter, both from Alex and from mom, is highlighted with some wonderful illustrations and pictures by David Catrow. They fit the text perfectly which makes this book quite easy to read to an individual child or to a group. Each letter allows the reader to open up discussion as to the arguments presented by both mom and Alex. It is fun to have the kids think of other reasons for both sides of the argument. All in all, this is a fine little book and I do recommend you add it to your library. You certainly cannot go wrong with this one.

Teachers can look to this story as a great example of persuasive writing. Young Alex is trying to pursuade his mother to let him adopt an iguana. In a series of hilarious notes between Alex and his mother, the terms and conditions of pet ownership are hammered out. There is a "money" page (the point where the whole class bursts out in raucous laughter.) David Catrow illustrations are wonderfully comic. One young listener observed, "That kid is really weird looking." The last page evoked a class wide, arm pumping "Yesssss..." along with Alex. Great fun!

This is a marvellously ingenious book! Alex is just the right kind of precocious vocabulary-heavy kid to pull off the story, and his mom is a perfect foil for his scheme. My daughter loves this book, so naturally we read it a lot!

Our family LOVES I Wanna Iguana. Karen Kaufman Orloff's inventive story shows a wonderful, loving and humor-filled parent-child relationship in such a fun way. We read it over and over again, which makes us very happy.

I Wanna Iguana, by Karen Kaufman Orloff, is a charmer. As you peek at the notes the mother and son exchange, you feel like you become a member of this fond and humorous family. The illustrations by David Catrow are wonderful and fully capture the warmth and charm of the text. I loved it and can't wait to share it with children I know.