Spencer's New Pet (Hardcover)
Fall 2019 Kids Indie Next List
“I love all of Jessie Sima’s work, and this book is unlike anything she has ever done. In the style of a silent film, this picture book tells the story of Spencer and his pet balloon dog. This book is absolutely beautifully drawn and the twist made me gasp. I am still reeling from the trip this book took me on.”
— Portia Turner, The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL
When Spencer gets a new pet, he’s excited to do all the things that pets do—taking walks in the park, going to the vet, and attending parties together.
There’s just one hitch: Spencer’s new pet is a balloon.
And that means No. Sharp. Objects.
No drooling dogs at the park. No prickly porcupines at the vet. And absolutely no pinning tails on any donkeys!
Spencer’s New Pet is a story of pure fun about a boy, his dog, and a friendship that endures life’s sharpest...and most unexpected twists.
Jessie Sima is an author/illustrator living and working in New York City. They grew up in a small town in southern New Jersey, unaware that they were a storyteller. Once they figured it out, they told their family and friends, who took it quite well. They are the author of Not Quite Narwhal; Harriet Gets Carried Away; Love, Z; Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies; Spencer’s New Pet; Jules vs. the Ocean; Hardly Haunted; and Weather Together. You can visit them at JessieSima.com.
*** "An entirely immersive reading experience...younger readers...[will] be delighted by this heartwarming and suspenseful story of a boy and his dog, the ending of which will leave them eager for a second reading." - Booklist, starred review
*** "With many nods to silent film—including a black-and-white palette, elegant title cards dividing the story into three parts, highly dramatic close-ups, and iris shots—Sima (Love, Z) tells the nearly wordless story of a bespectacled boy and the dog he loves very much." - Publisher's Weekly, starred review