Jenius: The Amazing Guinea Pig (Hyperion Chapters)

Judy's pet guinea pig is so brilliant that he can play dead, and catch a cracker in his mouth, but during show and share, she discovers he might not always perform in front of an audience.

Grade 2-4-King-Smith has created another richly personified animal character in this delightful, fast-paced, beginning- chapter book. Judy teaches her guinea pig, Jenius, several tricks, despite the fact that her teacher and parents say that guinea pigs aren't trainable. Jenius, in turn, is told by his parents that he can't learn tricks. As they succeed, both Judy and Jenius become boastful. Finally, Judy's teacher allows her to bring her pet to school to perform. But he is shocked into immobility at the sight of a caged cat. The teacher and both sets of parents-human and animal-feel that Judy and Jenius have learned a valuable lesson. The curtain closes with Dad, who has promised to eat his hat if the guinea pig can perform, witnessing a few of Jenius's tricks. Floca's spare ink sketches add life to this tale of communication and misunderstanding. Pair this gem with Michael Bond's The Tales of Olga da Polga (S & S, 1989), another prize story about a guinea pig with ample personality.
Christina Dorr, Calcium Primary School, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In a book subtitled ``The Amazing Guinea Pig,'' Judy is determined to show everyone that guinea pigs aren't lacking in brain power. She gets her chance when her pets produce a ``child of their old age.'' Jenius (Judy doesn't spell ``correcktly'') is reared to be ``the best-trained, most brilliant guinea pig in the whole world,'' proud of his easy mastery of dog tricks and even able to unlatch his own hutch from inside (resulting in a near- fatal brush with a tomcat). His ``swelled head'' annoys his parents who seem preoccupied with each other and who laugh at their son when he flubs his big performance on Pet's Day. In what is meant to be a humorous parallel, Judy's parents are equally dismissive of her--``Buzz off now, there's a girl.'' In the end, Judy's father may have to eat his hat (and Jenius's father, a plastic water bottle) but this cleverly constructed, easy reading fantasy by King-Smith (Mr. Potter's Pet, p. 532, etc.) is not up to his best. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 7-9) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 2^-3. The prolific author of Babe tells a story about another kind of pig this time--not a sheepherder and, in fact, not even a real porker, but a guinea pig. No matter, though. This pig may not be gallant, but he's a genius--or "Jenius," as Judy, his nearly eight-year-old owner spells it in her journal. How she convinces her doubting parents, teacher, and classmates that her pet lives up to his name provides the low-key drama for this slight--but amusing--chapter book. Michael Cart