Fifty years after the publication of Robert the Rose Horse comes Joan Heilbroner's second Beginner Book—A Pet Named Sneaker, with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre. A madcap tale reminiscent of The Cat in the Hat, Go, Dog. Go!, and A Fish Out of Water, Sneaker is the story of a pet-store snake who longs for a real home. When he is finally adopted by Pete—a young boy charmed by Sneaker's uncanny ability to twist himself into different shapes—Sneaker not only proves himself a good pet, but proves to be a good student (sneaking into school with Pete and learning to read and write); a good citizen (saving a drowing toddler at a community pool); and a goodwill ambassador for the entire animal kingdom (inspiring the community to open the pool to all animals)! With delightfully understated, wickedly funny illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre, this is a fantastic, funny book that will sneakily get beginning readers reading on their own! 

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Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, November 12, 2012:
“Told with easygoing assurance, marvelous economy, and goodhearted humor by two pros, this Beginner Book should sneak its way into the heart of early readers.”

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JOAN HEILBRONER is best known for her first book, Robert the Rose Horse, which was published in 1961. Acquired by Dr. Seuss when he was editor of Beginner Books, it has been in print for over 50 years. Her inspiration to write A Pet Named Sneaker came from her grandchildren, Quentin and Katrina, and their talented pet snake Plato. A graduate of Columbia University, Ms. Heilbroner worked as a school librarian until her retirement.  

PASCAL LEMAITRE is the illustrator of numerous books for young people, and his editorial work appears regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Time, and Print. He spends half the year in Brussels, where he teaches at Le Cambre, and half the year in Brooklyn, New York. 

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