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Boris #2
Boris Gets a Lizard
For a curious warthog like Boris, adventure is always just around the corner!
This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Boris loves pets! And he already has lots of them. All he's missing is his favorite animal, a Komodo dragon--the biggest lizard in the world!
When Boris brags to the kids in his class that he's getting one, everyone wants to see it. Boris needs to come up with a plan...fast. Luckily, he's got his friends by his side and a lizard up his sleeve!
This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!
Boris loves pets! And he already has lots of them. All he's missing is his favorite animal, a Komodo dragon--the biggest lizard in the world!
When Boris brags to the kids in his class that he's getting one, everyone wants to see it. Boris needs to come up with a plan...fast. Luckily, he's got his friends by his side and a lizard up his sleeve!
80 pages, Hardcover
First published February 28, 2011
4 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Joyner
76 books31 followersAndrew Joyner is an internationally published illustrator and author. His popular books include The Terrible Plop, written by Ursula Dubosarsky. He lives in South Australia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
August 23, 2018
Per my second graders: It was good because we learned about Komodo Dragons. It was awesome because I liked the way Boris saw the Komodo Dragon. It was okay but I wish it had more girls in it.
May 18, 2013
Boris loves animals, but although he has many pets, he longs for a Komodo dragon of his own. To say that he's obsessed with the large lizard would be an understatement. It's always the topic when he has to give talks at school, and he bores his parents and friends to death with details about the Komodo dragon. When he brags that he has one visiting him from the zoo, it will take a lot of quick thinking to save his face since his classmates are waiting to see the fierce creature. The story has a good message with which most children can relate, and an attractive, likeable character in Boris. It has enough unique qualities to make it fresh while also containing elements with which youngsters will be familiar.
May 14, 2013
My seven year old son reads at grade level but he is intimidated by a book with lots of pages or lots of words. Boris, like Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy series, is an illustrated chapter book designed for early readers just like my son. Part comic book, part leveled reader, Andrew Joyner has created a compelling story with a charming kid-friendly character. There is great wit and humor in the illustrations and Boris is already a family favorite. Hurry up and write more, Mr. Joyner. We can't wait for the next adventure.
August 28, 2020
Boris is obsessed with Komodo dragons. Every Tuesday in class he talks about them. Boris is convinced he wants one as a pet, and he writes what he is sure is a very convincing letter to the zoo letting them know that their Komodo dragon can come have a vacation at his house. He starts spreading the word that he's getting a Komodo dragon at his house that weekend. But what will the weekend bring?
I can totally picture some kids I know doing exactly the same thing as Boris. I would've liked for him to fess up to his class a little more clearly, but he does clarify things in his own way. This is a quick read with lively pictures to go along with the creative but relatable story. Hand this to beginning readers looking for a character who gets into entertaining scrapes and has a great imagination.
I can totally picture some kids I know doing exactly the same thing as Boris. I would've liked for him to fess up to his class a little more clearly, but he does clarify things in his own way. This is a quick read with lively pictures to go along with the creative but relatable story. Hand this to beginning readers looking for a character who gets into entertaining scrapes and has a great imagination.
August 25, 2017
This is the second in the Boris series from the Branches imprint of Scholastic. These are transitional chapter books and this series has great color illustrations and very few words on a page.
Boris can be very focused and in this book he is completely obsessed with Komodo dragons. He goes on and on to everyone he knows and wants one of his own. He hatches a scheme to have the local zoo resident Komodo dragon come for a vacation to his house. He writes the letters to the zoo, tells all his friends the giant lizard is coming, builds a house for it and ...... then comes home to discover that the zoo keeper has written that the Komodo dragon cannot visit. This is a great lesson in how to face a lie that has been building and in which you are now caught.
Boris can be very focused and in this book he is completely obsessed with Komodo dragons. He goes on and on to everyone he knows and wants one of his own. He hatches a scheme to have the local zoo resident Komodo dragon come for a vacation to his house. He writes the letters to the zoo, tells all his friends the giant lizard is coming, builds a house for it and ...... then comes home to discover that the zoo keeper has written that the Komodo dragon cannot visit. This is a great lesson in how to face a lie that has been building and in which you are now caught.
March 10, 2020
Boris is obsessed with Komodo dragons. Every Tuesday he gives a talk about them in his class. Being the big dreamer that he is, he gets the idea to write a letter to the zoo asking for the Komodo Dragon to take a vacation to his house. Then he starts preparing. He invites everyone to come to see the dragon on Saturday before finding out that Komodo Dragons don't take vacations. When he has to think of a solution on the fly, chaos ensues.
I love the uniqueness of this series!
Moral: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
I love the uniqueness of this series!
Moral: Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
May 16, 2022
The book I read is Boris Gets A Lizard by Andrew Joyner. This book falls into the genre of Contemporary. This book is aimed at ages 5-7 years of age. Or young children who have begun reading independently. To summarize this book, Boris is a young warthog who loves animals. The only animal he is missing is a Komodo Dragon. The biggest lizard in the world! I gave this book five stars because it teaches a lot about animals to young children. In these age ranges, young children love discussing dinosaurs, large creatures and to discuss a Komodo Dragon captivates their attention. This book is also great for children because it demonstrates persistence. Boris is determined to get a Komodo Dragon and does not give up. He even goes as far as writing the zoo to see if the Komodo Dragon takes vacations. This book is captivating to children because they can learn about something new that is considered cool. This is a win win for teachers because a whole lesson can be evolved around Komodo Dragons. This is good for lessons because teachers can provide visuals and lead group discussions amongst the children. The book is visually and verbally appealing for all.
5/5/22
5/5/22
November 15, 2018
Second tale of Boris the Warthog has more age appropriate adventures for our title character as he attempts to woo his young readers with his adventures. Nothing overtly memorable here but a read that should be enjoyed by the young reader, if perhaps not something that will be on regular repeat
January 11, 2018
Kid enjoyed the book and wanted to read more Boris books.
November 7, 2018
These are great, easy reads for newly independent readers
January 9, 2019
Enjoyed the book.
September 7, 2019
Logan: I like Boris and his friends. It was funny that Boris was surprised that Komodo Dragons will eat their children. Wow Komodo Dragons are big!
July 24, 2020
Read this one as I was checking it in. Lots of fun. Boris, who seems to be a warthog somewhat in the way that Arthur is an anteater, is desperate for a Komodo dragon. Be careful what you wish for!
January 25, 2022
I died laughing after reading the plot. Kids can be very creative when it comes to fulfilling their responsibility, though it may be a tricky one. Andrew Joyner, thank you for this fantastic series!
September 16, 2024
I think it is a good book. Because so much is going on at once. And I like how there is a lot of animals.
December 19, 2016
This review covers both Boris on the Move and Boris Gets a Lizard.
In Boris on the Move, readers learn that Boris, a warthog, and his parents live in a bus that used to travel the world, but now mostly stays in one place. Boris is an adventurous kid, and he longs to go somewhere exotic in the bus - maybe to Africa, or the Amazon jungle. His parents try to satisfy him by taking a local camping trip, but Boris is disappointed... until he gets lost in the woods and faces a wild animal all on his own!
In Boris Gets a Lizard, Boris is obsessed with komodo dragons. He talks about them in school and becomes convinced that the Hogg Bay zoo will let him borrow one for a short vacation. He mails a letter to the zoo and without waiting for a reply, invites all of his friends over to see the komodo dragon. When his friends show up, though, there is no komodo dragon and Boris has to do some quick thinking to keep them from finding out that the zoo couldn't send him one.
Like many kindergarteners and first graders, Boris is a curious and inquisitive kid. His interests are informed by the books he reads, as shown in the opening illustration of each book, and his parents are happily supportive of whatever his interests are, even if his teacher and classmates can sometimes grow weary of his obsessions. Boris is great at using his imagination, and though it sometimes carries him away, he also always learns something as a result of his imagined adventures. Kids who dream of their own adventures will find a kindred spirit in Boris, and they will learn how to have fun in their own backyards, even if they can't pack up and move to Africa or bring home dangerous lizards. I also think the image-heavy format of the book will draw in readers who have been accustomed to reading picture books but might not quite be ready for pages and pages of uninterrupted text.
In some ways, Boris reminds me of Marc Brown's Arthur, but with more personality and at a slightly younger age. He's also a bit like Eugene from the Captain Awesome books, with the sweetness and innocence of Martin Bridge. Boris is a much-needed addition to the list of early chapter books that appeal to boys, and he is sure to appeal to preschoolers and kindergarteners who are ready for chapter books.
In Boris on the Move, readers learn that Boris, a warthog, and his parents live in a bus that used to travel the world, but now mostly stays in one place. Boris is an adventurous kid, and he longs to go somewhere exotic in the bus - maybe to Africa, or the Amazon jungle. His parents try to satisfy him by taking a local camping trip, but Boris is disappointed... until he gets lost in the woods and faces a wild animal all on his own!
In Boris Gets a Lizard, Boris is obsessed with komodo dragons. He talks about them in school and becomes convinced that the Hogg Bay zoo will let him borrow one for a short vacation. He mails a letter to the zoo and without waiting for a reply, invites all of his friends over to see the komodo dragon. When his friends show up, though, there is no komodo dragon and Boris has to do some quick thinking to keep them from finding out that the zoo couldn't send him one.
Like many kindergarteners and first graders, Boris is a curious and inquisitive kid. His interests are informed by the books he reads, as shown in the opening illustration of each book, and his parents are happily supportive of whatever his interests are, even if his teacher and classmates can sometimes grow weary of his obsessions. Boris is great at using his imagination, and though it sometimes carries him away, he also always learns something as a result of his imagined adventures. Kids who dream of their own adventures will find a kindred spirit in Boris, and they will learn how to have fun in their own backyards, even if they can't pack up and move to Africa or bring home dangerous lizards. I also think the image-heavy format of the book will draw in readers who have been accustomed to reading picture books but might not quite be ready for pages and pages of uninterrupted text.
In some ways, Boris reminds me of Marc Brown's Arthur, but with more personality and at a slightly younger age. He's also a bit like Eugene from the Captain Awesome books, with the sweetness and innocence of Martin Bridge. Boris is a much-needed addition to the list of early chapter books that appeal to boys, and he is sure to appeal to preschoolers and kindergarteners who are ready for chapter books.
February 26, 2014
Boris Gets a Lizard
Andrew Joyner
Graphic Novel
Text to Text: A good text to text would be other books of the “Branches” Series on which all talk about Boris. This would be good to get kids interested because these are funny, face paced books that would get a child interested quickly and the fact there is more then one book could pull students in because who doesn’t like a good book that has multiple in the series, more for you to read!
Text to Self: This would be a good text to self because you could ask the children what animals they have or if they have ever been to the zoo to see their favorite animal. You can ask how the experience was for them and if they learned anything about their favorite animals while either being at the zoo or learning about them.
Text to World: I think this would be a great book for making connections on text to world with students. In this book Boris makes up a lie saying that he is going to get a Komodo dragon as a pet but when the whole school shows up in his front lawn he doesn’t have one but he does have a tiny Skink, a very small lizard. This would be good to show kids that not every animal can be a pet but some must remain in the wild or at a zoo and even if they are at the zoo you can still have a great time and go and see them. Boris learned that you can’t have every pet but you can still have fun! This would relate to a lot of kids in the world because lots of kids think they could have every pet and a lot of kids’ favorite animals are exotic animals.
Andrew Joyner
Graphic Novel
Text to Text: A good text to text would be other books of the “Branches” Series on which all talk about Boris. This would be good to get kids interested because these are funny, face paced books that would get a child interested quickly and the fact there is more then one book could pull students in because who doesn’t like a good book that has multiple in the series, more for you to read!
Text to Self: This would be a good text to self because you could ask the children what animals they have or if they have ever been to the zoo to see their favorite animal. You can ask how the experience was for them and if they learned anything about their favorite animals while either being at the zoo or learning about them.
Text to World: I think this would be a great book for making connections on text to world with students. In this book Boris makes up a lie saying that he is going to get a Komodo dragon as a pet but when the whole school shows up in his front lawn he doesn’t have one but he does have a tiny Skink, a very small lizard. This would be good to show kids that not every animal can be a pet but some must remain in the wild or at a zoo and even if they are at the zoo you can still have a great time and go and see them. Boris learned that you can’t have every pet but you can still have fun! This would relate to a lot of kids in the world because lots of kids think they could have every pet and a lot of kids’ favorite animals are exotic animals.
September 6, 2013
Boris wants a lizard…but not just any lizard, he wants to get a Komodo dragon. Even though it is a bit deadly, he thinks it will be the perfect pet. So in a series of chapters we learn more about Boris, about the Komodo dragon he wants, and how he tells his school class that they can come and visit his new pet (before he even gets the pet of course). And then we learn what he does about it when he doesn’t in fact get the dangerous pet to show off.
I like Boris. A lot. I haven’t read all of his adventures (from the book jacket I can see that there are at least three other Boris books just waiting for me to read them). But I know that he is great. In fact, I like him just as much as Henry and Mudge or Poppleton or some of those other great early reader chapter books. I think that I need to get loads more Boris books for my library, just so I can recommend him to everyone I talk to who wants a good easy reader book. I like the fact that Boris thinks the way he does (I totally laughed out loud when I saw how he “convinced” everyone he had a Komodo dragon even though he didn’t). He just seems like the type of kid (or a pig-like animal) that kids everywhere should be reading about. At least, all the kids that I recommend early readers to at my library will start to hear about him from here on out. :)
I like Boris. A lot. I haven’t read all of his adventures (from the book jacket I can see that there are at least three other Boris books just waiting for me to read them). But I know that he is great. In fact, I like him just as much as Henry and Mudge or Poppleton or some of those other great early reader chapter books. I think that I need to get loads more Boris books for my library, just so I can recommend him to everyone I talk to who wants a good easy reader book. I like the fact that Boris thinks the way he does (I totally laughed out loud when I saw how he “convinced” everyone he had a Komodo dragon even though he didn’t). He just seems like the type of kid (or a pig-like animal) that kids everywhere should be reading about. At least, all the kids that I recommend early readers to at my library will start to hear about him from here on out. :)
August 31, 2013
This is the second book in a series featuring a warthog named Boris by Andrew Joyner. We saw the first two books in this series on display at our local library, so we thought we'd check them out.
This is a fun tale and I love Boris's imagination. I liked his enthusiasm for getting an exotic new pet, even if a Komodo dragon isn't realistic. I loved that he learned a lot about them in the books he read, and that he was able to share with his class the information he learned.
Overall, we enjoyed reading this book together. It's a combination of a chapter book and graphic novel and it's a fun, fast read.
This is a fun tale and I love Boris's imagination. I liked his enthusiasm for getting an exotic new pet, even if a Komodo dragon isn't realistic. I loved that he learned a lot about them in the books he read, and that he was able to share with his class the information he learned.
Overall, we enjoyed reading this book together. It's a combination of a chapter book and graphic novel and it's a fun, fast read.
April 14, 2016
What a fun book! Although there are lots of picture and it seems like it would simple texts, it is still end of the year 2nd grade (level M). Boris Gets a Lizard is about exactly what you would think. He gets a lizard, but what kind? The pictures are adorable. (An FYI for teachers, Boris also writes a letter -- and it has a procedural/how to at the end.) To me, this would be a great book for reluctant readers who are ready for chapter books. I don't even know they were reading a chapter book.
June 18, 2013
Boris is absolutely determined that he is going to get a pet Komodo dragon. He knows they are the coolest pet because they are the biggest lizard in the world. Everyone knows Boris likes things BIG! He even writes to the local zoo offering his home as a vacation destination for their Komodo. When the zookeeper politely declines his offer and sends him some zoo passes instead, Boris realizes bigger isn't always better.
August 9, 2013
After reading Boris Gets a Lizard I quickly logged on to the public library website and ordered the rest of the Boris collection. I LOVE finding new series for young readers! Boris books are perfect for students reading at a second grade level. When I was a elementary school librarian it was challenging to find books written at this level that make reading fun. If elementary schools and primary classrooms purchase the entire Boris series they will be rewarded with excited readers.
September 18, 2013
See my full review here: http://misstiffreads.blogspot.com/201...
Boris brags to his whole class that he is getting a lizard, specifically a Komono Dragon with poisonous spit. Of course this doesn't happen, even though he asks the zoo very nicely to let the lizard vacation at his home, but he comes up with a great solution. This is a delightful series that will teach newly independent readers that reading is fun!
Boris brags to his whole class that he is getting a lizard, specifically a Komono Dragon with poisonous spit. Of course this doesn't happen, even though he asks the zoo very nicely to let the lizard vacation at his home, but he comes up with a great solution. This is a delightful series that will teach newly independent readers that reading is fun!
July 27, 2013
This is a great beginning chapter book. Boris is a warthog who loves lizards and is currently obsessed with komodo dragons. He invites his classmates over to see the komodo dragon that he hopes to borrow from the zoo. He has to do some quick thinking when the zoo won't let the lizard come visit. The pictures are wonderful.
August 11, 2015
Love this 'branches' option in books. It branches between reading level where jumps seem to be too large before.
Boris reads like an early reader (level 2, 3, etc.) but in chapter book format. Good to have a boy book on the shelves along side the many girl characters.
This one is also a cute story about the dumb things we do to save face in front of friends.
Boris reads like an early reader (level 2, 3, etc.) but in chapter book format. Good to have a boy book on the shelves along side the many girl characters.
This one is also a cute story about the dumb things we do to save face in front of friends.
October 1, 2014
My 3 and a half year old loves the Boris books. They are perfect early chapter books for me to read aloud to her, with lots of illustrations and engaging stories about a character who would love to go off and have grand adventures, but ends up finding his adventures at home. I love all the connections the Boris books make to each other.
October 31, 2013
Chapter book that is a good transition from first readers. Lots of illustrations and looks closer to a graphic novel.
Boris wants his own komodo dragon and thinks the zoo is going to let theirs take a vacation at his house, poisonous spit and all.
Quick read. The boychild liked it.
Boris wants his own komodo dragon and thinks the zoo is going to let theirs take a vacation at his house, poisonous spit and all.
Quick read. The boychild liked it.
July 10, 2013
Another cute and funny Boris book...this time with Komodo Dragons!!!
July 26, 2013
A great reader for kids just starting on chapter books.
September 22, 2013
A great addition to the early illustrated chapter book series for young readers building confidence. And . . . Komodo Dragons!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews