PEE-WEE’S TALE

A precocious guinea pig finds himself adrift in Central Park in a tale of high adventure. Readers follow Pee-Wee’s progress as he moves from pet shop to the apartment of his new owner, Robbie. When Robbie’s mother’s abhorrence of anything rodent-like leads to Pee-Wee’s abrupt arrival in the park, the naïve foundling endures several harrowing encounters with creatures of both the two-legged and four-legged variety. With the help of his new squirrel friend Lexi, Pee-Wee soon acquires some street smarts and a taste for freedom. A remarkable ability to read—he was taught by his mother from the newspaper scraps underneath their cage—enables Pee-Wee to warn Lexi and some other squirrel families that their trees are going to be cut down, engendering for him hero status among the park animals. When he discovers Robbie at the park one day, Pee-Wee decides that, perilous though it may be, he has learned to love his freedom. Told from the guinea pig’s perspective, the animals in Hurwitz’s tale come off sounding a whole lot more reasonable than their human counterparts. She liberally infuses the story with wry humor; the fast-talking Lexi’s speech is peppered with adages that have received a squirrel twist—“A nut in the jaw is worth two in the paw”—and keeps the tale moving at a swift pace. Brewster’s appealing pencil sketches appear sporadically throughout the text, complementing the tale. Winsome drawings depicting Pee-Wee’s wide-eyed gaze and stout, fluffy little body are sure to melt even the hardest of hearts. A caveat: this tale of freedom gained may leave readers longing to emancipate their own caged darlings. (Fiction. 7-9)