Review by Booklist Review
Ages 4-8. In the latest adventure of aardvark Arthur, his parents agree to get him a puppy if he proves himself responsible. Egged on by his smart-mouthed little sister, who wants him to pay back the money he owes her, he starts a business caring for other people's pets in his home--all over his home. There's not much story, but kids will enjoy the family chaos, as a boa constricter, a spoiled yapping dog, frogs, and sundry other clients clamor for Arthur's attention and invade sitting room, bath, and bed. No one will be surprised to learn from the back flap that Brown has a menagerie of his own. He clearly knows that in families there's lots going on all at once, and his text is just the outline for what the ebullient pictures tell. ~--Hazel Rochman
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-- Arthur seeks a job taking care of pets to prove he is responsible enough to have a puppy of his own. He is glad that his first job is to mind a dog for a week, even a temperamental one, and he lets Perky sleep in his room. An ant farm and a canary follow--but when sister D. W. finds frogs in the bathtub and a boa in the livingroom, Mother banishes these ``pets'' to the basement. The reason for some of Perky's fussiness is revealed when, on the day she is to go home, she disappears--and is discovered in Arthur's closet with her new litter of pups. The pleased owner gives one to Arthur in addition to his fee--most of which pesky D. W. claims for a back debt. Arthur, whose appearance continues to evolve from his first aardvark appearance in Arthur's Nose (Joy Street, 1976), is a bit rounder and pinker, and the story a bit thinner, but his many fans will cheer this fourteenth adventure in a popular series. --Ruth M. McConnell, San Antonio Pub . Lib . (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Arthur the aardvark goes into the pet business to prove he is responsible enough to own a dog. Although his first customer is a spoiled dog named Perky who ''hasn't been herself lately,'' the ending is satisfying, as Perky's strange behavior is explained by the appearance of a litter of puppies, one of which Arthur gets to keep for his very own. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
By taking care of a demanding menagerie of other people's animals, Arthur proves that he's responsible enough to have his own puppy. Up to the usual comic, literate standard of this deservedly popular series about a nicely normal animal family. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
