A Furry Fiasco

Animal Inn #1

by Paul DuBois Jacobs, Paul DuBois Jacobs, Stephanie Laberis (Illustrations)

Play and stay at the Animal Inn, a brand-new chapter book series where the fur—and fun—flies at an animal spa and hotel.

The Animal Inn is an all-inclusive pet resort/hotel/center/spa for animals from dogs to rabbits, cats to ducks, parrots to lizards. From doggie and kitty daycare, to grooming, and group play—you name it, and the Animal Inn has it.

The Inn is run by the Tyler family along with their pets Leopold, the Macaw; Fuzzy and Furry, the gerbils; dogs Dash and Coco; felines Shadow and Whiskers; and a rollicking horde of animal visitors.

When the animals hear that a new boarder—a Komodo Dragon—will be coming to the Inn, they panic! Is it a fire-breathing dragon? Will it gobble them all up and then devour their family? What’s to become of the Animal Inn?

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Animals

112 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2016

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun idea for a series, but I felt it missed the mark. There are SO many characters and they are introduced so slap-dash all at one time just rattling off the names of the different humans and animals who reside at the Animal Inn. There's no time to absorb and the characterization just isn't there enough to make each animal or human vivid enough. I, as an adult reader, was really confused and frustrated after the first few chapters. Also, each book is told from a different animal's perspective, so just when you think you've got the narrator penned down it will switch in the next book.

Here's the cast of characters (not including the ADDITIONAL guests who stay at the inn!)
Human family: Mom, Dad, Jake, Ethan and Cassie
Coco, a chocolate lab
Dash, a Tibetan terrier
Leopold, a scarlet macaw
Shadow and Whiskers, sister and brother cats
Fuzzy and Furry, a pair of adventurous gerbils

It's also an odd combination of peril and suspense but also very lightweight in terms of the mystery (which is really just misunderstandings). In Book 1 the animals are worried a dragon is coming to stay and that it is poisonous and breathes fire. In the Book 2 they worry a pirate is coming. In Book 3, the pets think one of them is going to be donated to a school and there's all this angst about which of them is going to go! All ends well, but I could see it being a bit much for sensitive littles.

Despite my lukewarm response, the series appealed to my eight-year-old so I guess that's what counts :-)

[Adele Broadbent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Animal Inn is where you take your pet when you go on holiday. The Tyler family of Mum, Dad, Jake, Ethan and 5 year old Cassie will welcome any animal to share their home with Leopold the Macaw (not to be confused for the Toucan thank you very much), Dash the Tibetan Terrier, Cat brothers Shadow and Whiskers, Coco the chocolate lab and last but by no means least, Fuzzy and Furry - Houdini-like Gerbils.

In each story, a different animal tells a tale. Leopold kicks off the series with a mystery to solve. A new animal is coming to stay, but what could it be? The fire chief has been to check out its new home in the basement and Cassie is asking when the wizard is coming?

Accompanied by black and white illustrations this is a must for young animal lovers.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great chapter book for 2nd- early 3rd grade. It incorporates facts without being too "teachy". Only dislike was that this first book introduced a LOT of characters and it was really hard to keep track of who everyone was

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son really liked this book. It is narrated by the animals at the Inn. The author manages to put in some information on animals in an interesting way.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Animal Inn is an animal groomer/kennel. The family who runs it includes three kids, two dogs, two cats, two gerils, and a macaw. It is narrated by the animals.

In this first book, the animals are all worried about their new guest: a dragon. It ends up being a Komodo dragon, and they learn not to overreact and believe rumors.

Cute series for pet lovers. Not at the top of my list to recommend, but a solid series.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy beginner chapter book with kid appeal with all the animals - but will all those characters confuse the target reader? I had a hard time keeping them all straight.

[Lillian FullerMoore · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a kids book but even for a kids book it was boring. We read every night and never was this one we were excited to pick up.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 1.5 - 2 star because I read it 2x. N cuz its actually a pretty good suspense story for a kids book.

[JB · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is way too childish for me to be rating 5 stars but OH MY GOSH I READ THIS STUPID BOOK LIKE 5 YEARS AGO AND I THINK ABOUT IT EVERY DAY FOR NO REASON OH MY GOSH I LOVE IT

[M.L.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. 6 year old loves it.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to find good kid books. Everybody knows all the good ones we grew up reading. And they're (mostly) still good! But if you want good books written in the last 20 years? Good luck finding those.

These ones are adorable though. They take place at a family-run animal hospital/shelter/resort and they're narrated by the pets. They're fun, funny, have good characters, and keep my kids' attention without making me want to absolutely pull my hair out.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute story,I am
Reading my way through these cute books.

[Mary Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meet the animals and people who live at the Animal Inn. The Animal Inn provides everything your pet could ever want. Stories, parties, and comfy accommodations, weather you are dropping by for an afternoon puppy class or an extended stay. In book one, some of the residents of the Animal Inn are a little bit nervous because a wizard is coming and he is bringing a dragon! Sweet, funny, engaging.