Bill Peet's fictionalized account of his son's ill-advised acquisition of a capybara. Amusing moments, but mostly it ends as you'd probably expect it would. Much redeemed by Peet's always-excellent illustrations. ( )

A wonderful surprise. A true life story about the summer the Peet family kept a Capybara asa pet. Just the right level of difficulty for my kids. Clever illustrations and well-written. ( )

"Capyboppy" is the engaging and humourous story of the Peet family's unusual pet --- a capybara. When young Bill wanted a boa constrictor, the family objected strenuously, so a compromise was made and Bill got a capybara instead. The antics of Capyboppy in his younger days are hilarious, and his effect on the other family pets will be familiar to anyone who has introduced a new animal into an established home. The challenges that the family faces as Capyboppy matures will also be familiar to anyone who has experienced a pet outgrowing his home. This is a heartwarming and enjoyable story that is great for family reading.

This story is not one I would use in a lower elementary classroom because I think that it would upset little kids when Capy gets sick or has to go live in a zoo. I do think this book could be fun in a unit on animals and could help a discussion of what kinds of animals don't make good pets and why wild animals need to be wild.

Genre: Realistic fantasy

Uses-
-Book cluster on Capybaras
-what animals don't make good pets
-Why wild animals are wild

Cabyboppy is a true story about a man and his pet capybara. The illistrations are very detailed. This book is wonderful. ( )