DChance Review I Completely Know About Guinea Pigs by Lauren Child
Children's Book
I don't know about the Charlie and Lola books. So, what I see is two kids on the cover.
The little girl is holding a guinea pig. The guinea pig looks more real than the girl.
The two characters don't look very well drawn, so I hope the book is better than the drawings.
image: amazon
Guinea Pigs
It turns out that the little girl wants to take the guinea pig out of her class for vacation. She does not know much about the animal but that does not seem to be a problem for the teacher.
The teacher lets her take the animal with her despite her lack of knowledge. I can only guess this might be because of the animal's short life span.
Lola's friends tell her about the animal which she didn't know nothing about before hand.
The little girl is very lucky that she has a brother and a dad to help her out. They make sure she does not mess up without interfering too much.
The Book
3 stars
I would have liked to have seen Lola do something she really wanted to do and not deal with a something that is unknown.
I did enjoy the book. The pictures and the writing does match up.
The main character needs to let others do what they want to do instead of thinking about herself.
image: DChance
Lesson
Theme
There is a price for being selfish.
Not everyone gets a turn.
Project
Think of something that you have never done than do it. First, tell your parents.
Question
Ask others what they like to do.
Taking Care of Animals
The main character in the story wanted to care for the animal because it was cute. She never though about how to care for the animal only that the cute animal would want to go home with her. The cute little animal attracted her attention first in the class room. Later, it attracted her attention when she was able to bond with the animal.
Taking care of an animal is a big responsibility. The animal has to have it's basic needs met. Food, shelter, and water need to thought of first before taking on the animal. Food can not just be any food that someone has in the refrigerator. A sandwich may not best for a small animal. Make sure you know what the animal eats before taking it home. Shelter for the animal, in the book meant: a cage. Most people don't have one of those in their home. That cage will need to be brought with the animal home. Then, water must be fresh for the animal.
Still, taking on an strange animal means putting the animal in an environment that is new. The new environment for the small animal could cause it to have a heart attack. Unfamiliar environments can be scary to the small animal. They may not be able to handle loud noises or other animals in the home. Hot or cold weather might be a factor in the comfort of an animal.
Making sure the animal is comfortable also includes cleaning the cage. The waste that the animal leaves behind must be removed to insure the safety of the animal's health.
If you have the animal for more then one weekend, you will need to think about excise. How does the animal need to be exercised? You will need to find out? Does the animal need to go on a walk? Can you excise the animal in the home?