Pssst!

A young girl wanders through the zoo, waylaid by a series of animals, each hailing her with a surreptitious "Pssst!," each with an odd request. From the penguins who want paint, to the sloths who want helmets, the items requested seem to make no sense, adding to the feeling of being in some surreal alternate world. Of course, the animals do have a plan, in this comic-book style story, and young readers will enjoy seeing it revealed.

Recommended by a few of my online friends, Pssst! was an entertaining storybook, full of that slightly bent humor I have come to expect from Adam Rex! I have to confess that I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I expected to (I'm not really sure why), but the wealth of amusing details - the droll signs show more throughout the zoo, the author's note on the colophon, in which he informs the reader that "This page has been intentionally left humor-free" - made the overall experience worthwhile. Definitely recommended to all Adam Rex fans, and to any young reader who likes silly stories! show less

A girl visiting the zoo starts receiving very strange requests from the animals. What are they going to do with all the weird things they're asking for? Escape of course!

This is a fantasy children's picture book

I love this book, as it goes along the seemingly simple story catches up with it's amazing baroque illustrations. AWESOME.

This book is a tough classroom read, but a great one-on-one. The drawings are so beautiful, funny and full that each page requires careful studying to get everything - and there are still new things to check out each read.

Oh, I find this very clever, and funny. A kid goes to the zoo and is surprised to encounter a variety of animals requesting she pick up things for them. What do they need all this stuff for? They have a project. The illustrations are very clever: Signs and dialog, and the interplay between the kid and the animals. Little kids can enjoy the persistent refrain of "pssst" and the idea of animals talking to them.

Doesn't ascend to the same exalted plane as "Tree Ring Circus", but this is still top-quality stuff from Rex, whose illustrations grab you by the eyeballs and whelm you with slantwise humour and flippant detail.

Oh, I find this very clever, and funny. A kid goes to the zoo and is surprised to encounter a variety of animals requesting she pick up things for them. What do they need all this stuff for? They have a project. The illustrations are very clever: Signs and dialog, and the interplay between the kid and the animals. Little kids can enjoy the persistent refrain of "pssst" and the idea of animals talking to them.

This is a fun book where the reader will quite possibly laugh out loud. There are some panels that the reader may leave repeating in the mind. The characters in the book are amusing and the story flows really well without actual narrative. Brilliant way of writing and keeps the reader wanting more. I can see students reading this again and again, and then checking it out just so they can show others how much fun it is. I love the art, as the visual characters match the story so well. As a whole group read aloud though, it would be hard pressed to work. This is one for a one on one reading or personal enjoyment for self or student.
Truly nothing glaring comes out of what curriculum use can be derived from this book aside for creating a show more writing project where students pick another animal at the zoo and create a "Pssst" situation. Discussion of the mixture of dialogue and reading between the lines (in a post modern fashion) in another possibility, although a lot of clear discussion will need to be had. show less

A child goes to the zoo and is asked to get a number of items for the animals at the zoo. Their explanations are funny but what they actually do with the items is hilarious.