I Want to Be Somebody New!

January 26, 2009
Spot, who in Put Me in the Zoo learned that he was better off performing in a circus than behind bars at the zoo, returns with his two human friends. Spot changes from elephant to giraffe to mouse, trying to find a new identity. But he discovers that every animal shape has its drawbacks. As an elephant Spot can't squeeze into his favorite chair; as a giraffe his friends can't see his face; as a mouse he can't reach the door to his house. Finally Spot's friends convince him that being somebody new is never going to feel as good as just being his same old, spot-juggling self. This intelligent, cheerful sequel, with its simple rhyming text, lives up to the reputation of its predecessor. The art, which hasn't changed since the first book was published (1960), has a dated, but familiar look.

November 1, 1986
PreS-Gr 1 -After a hiatus exceeding some 25 years, Spot, the main character in Put Me in the Zoo (Random, 1960) reappears. Spot is not happy with himself, and he magically transforms himself into an elephant, a giraffe, and finally a mouse. It takes the girl and the boy whom Spot first met when he wanted to be in the zoo to convince Spot that they like him best when he is being himself. Although the familiar trademarks of this series, brightly colored illustrations and simple rhyming sentences, remain unchanged, the book has several flaws. The theme of self acceptance is quite admirable, but when Spot appears as an elephant, his friends point out that he's too fat, as a giraffe he is too tall, and as a mouse too small. Those children who see themselves in the above descriptions might actually be getting the reverse message from what the story is trying to convey. A book that might pose problems to children who are sensitive about their physical appearance. Tom S. Hurlburt, Minneapolis Public Library

July 1, 2009
This companion to Lopshire's well-known 1960 beginning reader Put Me in the Zoo is appropriate for young readers because of its simple sentences, bright art, and rhyming text. The story itself, however, lacks distinction and depends on knowledge of the first book.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)