A lonely boy's new pet grows into a rather large dilemma-and a Thanksgiving parade offers an uplifting solution-in this charming tale from the author of The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl and the Bicycle. When Leonard takes a shortcut through the park, he finds an egg and takes it home, where it hatches into a lizard (or so Leonard thinks). Leonard names his new pet Buster and takes him all around the city: on the subway, to the library, to a baseball game, and more. But Buster keeps growing and growing-and Leonard gets the sense that Buster is longing for something Leonard can't provide. Before long, Buster becomes too big to keep, and Leonard realizes he needs to set Buster free. So Leonard comes up with an inventive plan, one that involves all the balloons Leonard can find and the annual Thanksgiving parade, in an imaginative plot twist that will spark readers' imaginations-and touch their hearts.

Author Biography

Writer and illustrator Mark Pett has practiced his craft in Philadelphia, Prague, the Mississippi Delta, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition to illustrating several books, Mark is the "authorstrator" of The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes. He is also the creator of the syndicated comic strips Mr. Lowe and Lucky Cow. He lives in Salt Lake City. Visit him at MarkPett.com.