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By Candace RyanIllustrated by Nathan Hale
Walker & Company, 2010
$16.99, ages 4-8, 40 pages
In this loopy, fun debut, a boy tries to convince his gray-haired teacher that an armchair with a powerful beak ate his homework, but fails to mention that his so-called "vulchair" also loves to munch on old ladies.
Even though Jeremy's gorilla-faced house looms large in the neighborhood, no one seems to believe that his house is any different than anyone else's, let alone that its genetically spliced with zoo animals.
It wouldn't be a big deal, except that his animal house, with its giraffe roof and monkey chimney, is always getting Jeremy into trouble in class.
While other kids only worry about dogs eating their homework, Jeremy has an entire house that gets into mischief -- every inanimate feature, from the roof to the bed, has eyes, a mouth and appendages, not to mention natural curiosity.
As a result, Jeremy is always coming to class with his homework half-gone or missing things entirely. Take the day his "snailbox," a mailbox with a snail head jutting out the front, devoured the class plant, or the day his "shrewler," a shrew with a ruler running down its tummy, gnawed his Statue of Liberty project.
Until now, Mrs. Nuddles shrugged off Jeremy's wild excuses, saying he had an overactive imagination, but this time Jeremy's gone too far and unless Jeremy can prove to Mrs. Nuddles during a home visit that a "vulchair" really does exist, he won't be going on the class field trip.
That afternoon Jeremy pleads with his house to behave, but as Mrs. Nuddles approaches the house for a visit, it's clear that something truly strange is going to happen. Condor wings swing open to greet her where front doors should be and the floor inside is a checkerboard of flamingos instead of tiles.
That afternoon Jeremy pleads with his house to behave, but as Mrs. Nuddles approaches the house for a visit, it's clear that something truly strange is going to happen. Condor wings swing open to greet her where front doors should be and the floor inside is a checkerboard of flamingos instead of tiles.
Spotting Mrs. Nuddles through his "windodo," Jeremy races down the "harecase" and explains that his parents are upstairs grooming the walls -- brushing the tusks of their "wallrus" and combing the "wallaby's" fur. Mrs. Nuddles eyes widen as she clasps her hands in shock.
But wait, don't look now Mrs. Nuddles, sister Jamie left the "skink" running around the house.
Suddenly the "skink," a lizard with a wash basin face, is knocking Mrs. Nuddles up to the "sealing." Jeremy's "chandelier" tries to catch her but snags his antlers in the ceiling's
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