Petlandia

Peter Hannan

Book - 2015

Feline Madame Wigglesworth is outraged when her privileged position in the house is usurped by a mere dog, Grub, so she comes up with a plan to expel the humans and put the pets, namely herself, in charge--but their human-free realm soon dissolves into complete chaos as she and Grub and his lovestruck sidekick Honeybaked Hamster struggle for the presidency.

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Subjects
Published
New York : Scholastic Press 2015.
Language
English
Main Author
Peter Hannan (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
139 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780545162111
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Madame Wigglesworth didn't always hate the humans. As long as the Finkleblurts treated her royally, the feline was content. Life changes drastically when Grub arrives. The puppy gets all the attention, and Madame Wigglesworth's jealousy grows to an unmanageable level. She concocts a plan and convinces Grub to help her rid the house of the Finkleblurt family. Now called Petlandia, the house will be ruled by the president and Madame Wigglesworth thinks only she is worthy of holding that office. However, the hamster and goldfish elect Grub. Of course, a battle over the presidency ensues, seesawing between the cat and dog, depending on which animals and insects vote. So what happened to the Finkleblurts? They move into the doghouse There's lots to like: hilarious back and forth verbal jabs, Grub's innocence and goofy speech pattern, unexpected voters, and delightfully fresh black-and-white cartoon drawings. It might not be great literature, but it will be popular with younger readers.--Petty, J. B. Copyright 2015 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Hannan targets the audience of his Freddy! and Super Goofballs series with an animal-centric comedy that resurrects some of the canine-feline animosity seen in his CatDog animated series. Madame Wigglesworth, the Finkleblurt family's self-aggrandizing pet cat, is infuriated by the way the humans dote on pet dog Grub. She engineers a coup d'état that kicks the Finkleblurts to the curb and leaves the pets, which include a lovelorn hamster and a depressed clownfish, in charge of "the sovereign nation of Petlandia." Hannan's manic cartooning conveys Madame Wigglesworth's monomania and Grub's mental vacancies with glee, but while outlandish moments are frequent, the dialed-up-to-11 energy can grow tiring. Ages 7-10. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-5-The Finkleblurts have a new pet pup, Grub, and their cat, Madame Wigglesworth, is not amused. As irritated as Madame Wigglesworth is with Grub, she "hates" the humans "ten times more." She plots revenge and unites the family's pets establishing a new country: Petlandia. She writes a Petlandia Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and a national anthem. She would like to serve as queen, but establishes the country as a democracy where the pets will vote for their new president. Madame Wigglesworth can't believe it when Grub is voted to be Petlandia's president. Now Madame Wigglesworth has a bigger problem: How can she become the next Petlandia president? Cat and dog owners will see their own pets in the stereotypical personalities of Grub and Wigglesworth. The story is silly, goofy, and altogether a riot, but there are genuine lessons to be learned about getting along with others and the the qualities of an excellent leader embedded amid the wackadoodle plot. The story might even prompt a discussion about bullying behavior. VERDICT Told with classic cartoon, fast-paced silliness and drawings, this title is bound to capture the attention of even the most reluctant reader.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego (c) Copyright 2015. 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

Cat Madame Wigglesworth enjoys queenly treatment from her humans, the Finkleblurts, but new puppy Grub redirects their devotion. Fed up, she hatches a plan, deceives Grub into going along with it, and then kicks the humans out to rule a pets-only household. Humorous, frenetic black-and-white line drawings are diverting, but Bruel's Bad Kitty books are better cat-vs.-dog sendups. (c) Copyright 2015. 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

Petlandia: utopia or P-U-topia?Madame Wigglesworth the cat was tolerant of her humans, the Finkleblurts, until they brought home a puppy named Grub. Now they are much more interested in rubbing his belly than in worshipping her. The grumpy feline hatches a plan to get rid of the humans by exploiting Grub's extreme stupidity. Telling him the family will withhold all belly rubs, she tricks Grub into ejecting the family from the house while they sleep. After the humans are gone, Madame Wigglesworth thinks she will again be queen, but a democratic vote among the pets, including love-struck Honeybaked Hamster and Clowny, the depressed clown fish, does not go her way. She enfranchises the rats who live in the basement for another vote. Honeybaked then invites the attic bats into the communityand so on, until the house is destroyed, and the Petlandians take refuge from the rain with the humans in the doghouse. The action takes place amid a mix of unfunny jokes, forced bad grammar and uber-dim characters, making this spin on the eternal conflict between cats and dogs a tedious one. Hannan is the creator of CatDog, Nickelodeon's Ren Stimpy knockoff, and his reliance on such aural devices as Honeybaked's Brooklyn accent and Grub's baby talk just do not work in print. Nick Bruel's books about Bad Kitty and Puppy are far better treatments of the theme than this tired outing. (Humor. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.