How can one little pet cause such BIG trouble?
On the day the tadpoles hatch, the whole class is amazed—they've never seen their teacher so excited. Mr. Stricter has always wanted a pet, so he tells the students they can keep just one. The class chooses Bruno, the smallest of the bunch. But Bruno doesn't stay small for long. Soon he's grown into a giant, classroom-wrecking creature: He eats desks, farts for show-and-tell, and sneezes slime all over everything! Everyone can see that Bruno is trouble. Everyone except Mr. Stricter.
With their teacher blinded by love for the pet, the students must step up and take matters into their own heroic hands.
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★ "Rissi's very funny text is a model of understatement and restraint...allowing OHora to make the most of the story's physical comedy in thickly painted scenes spiked with neon orange. Mr. Stricter is a classic bumbler cut from Amelia Bedelia's cloth, and readers will hope that his class has more oddball tales in store." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Highly recommended. Perfect for classroom read-alouds and lessons on problem-solving or pets." —School Library Journal
"The teacher in this amusing classroom story is named, ominously, Mr. Stricter, but he's as tenderhearted as they come—which is a big problem when the class tadpole, Bruno, turns out to be a hippo. As Bruno wreaks havoc, Mr. Stricter showers him with praise. The children must get their teacher to wise up and show Bruno the door. Rissi (the "Anna, Banana" books), with her edge-of-grossout humor, and OHora ("Horrible Bear!"), with his giant-headed, candy-colored people, have over-the-top sensibilities that mesh fantastically." —The New York Times Book Review
"A guaranteed chuckle for any grown-up who’s ever had to take care of the class 'pet' for the weekend." —USA TODAY
"Wonderful and whimsical.....Irresistible illustrations....There's nothing average about this madcap classroom adventure." —BookPage
"Bound to make any child giggle, and the adult reading it might even chuckle along." —Deseret News
"It's lovely to recommend a truly laugh-out-loud picture book in which the illustrations and text flatter each other so well. Rissi and OHora have devised a story that the reader will gleefully suspend disbelief for. Mr. Stricter has introduced a class pet, but it grows and grows into something unexpected that he loves but the students realize requires a different sort of compassion. All members of a classroom are shown to be contributors to the educational experience as the kids problem-solve and help their educational environment be successful." —Todd Wellman, Boswell Book Company (Staff Pick)
"Brilliant illustrations and silly hijinks make this a perfect [back to school] icebreaker book." —BookRiot
Named one of The Best Children's and YA Books of June 2017 by Brightly
Named one of the Best New Picture Books of June 2017 by The Children's Book Review
Watch a video of me reading The Teacher's Pet here.
Hardcover ISBN: 9781484743645 ebook ISBN: 9781368013086
Published on June 20, 2017 by Disney-Hyperion
Also published in Simplified Chinese