Pingo

Pingo #1

by Brandon Mull, Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

What happens when your imaginary friend turns into your imaginary enemy?

Like many kids his age, Chad has an imaginary friend. His friend was Pingo. The two would fight ninjas, brew magical potions, and float in zero gravity. Each day was a fun-filled adventure, until Chad decided he was too old to have an imaginary friend.

But Pingo wasn't ready to leave Chad alone, and started tormenting him and causing all kinds of mischief. Can this once inseparable duo ever be friends again?

Genres: Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship, Humor, Young Adult

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2009

About the author

BRANDON MULL is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven, Dragonwatch, Beyonders, and Five Kingdoms series. A kinetic thinker, Brandon enjoys bouncy balls, squeezable stress toys, and popping bubble wrap. He lives in Utah in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife, Erlyn, their eleven children, and three mischievous cats. Brandon loves meeting his readers and hearing about their experiences with his books.

Reviews

[Beckee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings for this book. I grew up with Hispanic parents so the word, "Pingo" was very common in our household. In fact, my sons nickname is pingo. The word Pingo means a little kid (usually boy) who gets into everything! Like a little tornado that roams the house. It is a very cute expression. I just about jump out of my seat when I saw this book. I thought, "I have to get it!" Which I did. The illustrations are very adorable and are well done. The story is a very cute book. However, I feel like the author could have been so much more with the term "Pingo". I feel like it could have done cuter, funnier, sillier and maybe a little sweeter. But it is cute and maybe I'm just reading too much into it because "Pingo" means a little more to me than most people. In any event, it is a sweet picture book that would be a fun bedtime story.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This became an instant favorite! It shows that you always need friends, and it might be fun for kids that are feeling guilty about letting go of their imaginary friends, because they can always be friends again someday! I think the most hilarious part was seeing Pingo and his "boy" reunited again . . . in the nursing home!
Very clever, lots of fun, kids will love it!

[Jenn Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie received this book for Christmas from her auntie Jill. Jill and I both loved Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series. In fact, Jill was the person who recommended Fablehaven to me in the first place.

Each night, we read two storybooks to Charlie: one that she chooses and one that the adult putting her to bed chooses. I chose this book the first night we had it, and Charlie has chosen it 4 out of 5 nights since. So I'd say that's a ringing endorsement from a 4-year-old. She loves the illustrations and imagining the trouble Pingo would cause in our house.

[Kaylynn Johnsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when your imaginary friends becomes your imaginary enemy? Chad is growing up and he tells Pingo, "If I stop believing in you, you'll disappear!" But he doesn't disappear, but he does get tired of bothering Chad. Chad grows up, grows old, grows lonely, and welcomes Pingo back into his life.

[Mckinley · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are better books about imaginary friends. This seems half-heartedly done.

See: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson, Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward, Ted by Tony DiTerlizzi, Dream Friends by You Byun, When the Sun Rose by Barbara Helen Berger, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat, Jessica by Kevin Henkes, Dotty by Erica S. Perl, No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, When a Dragon Moves In by Jodi Moore, Nobody by Liz Rosenberg, Squish Rabbit by Katherine Battersby, Maggie's Monkeys by Linda Sanders-Wells, Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems, My Name Is Not Alexander by Jennifer Fosberry

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pingo is the very imaginative and imaginary friend of a young boy named Chad. When Chad gets tired of being teased about Pingo and tries to conform to the world where imaginary friends are ignored, and the real trouble begins. As Chad ages, Pingo's antics don't let up and eventually the two friends reunite for the adventures of a lifetime. A small press gem, best for ages 2 & up.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Pingo! Brandon Mull has such an awesome and sometimes zany imagination, it's no wonder he came up with the idea of an imaginary friend becoming one's imaginary enemy.
Imagine if the one "person" who knew you best turned on you!
And I love the end, but I'm not going to give anything away.

[Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations in this book. The artist is very talented at interpreting the story with humor and imagination. I am not so sure about the story. I would have to give the story 2 stars and the illustrations 4 stars. So to average it out I'll give it three stars.

[Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read by Brandon Mull (author of the Fablehaven books).

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it while I was in line at Costco. Cute children's book about imaginary (or not so imaginary) friends. Great illustrations!

[Rachel Jessen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Margaret gave this book 5, but I would have given it 3. I think it has great potential, but it was more like an outline of what might have been.
But what do I know?

[Set · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, I would never read this book to any child because the imaginary friend's name is one letter away from being a terrible curse word in Spanish; It's like naming a character Penas.

The imaginary friend that stalks the child looks like a playground creep and devilish. In the literal sense, Chad is either a schizophrenic that can't shake off the imaginary friend or he is being haunted by a devil.

No one likes a book where we see the aging of the character into old age. And all the children have old face syndrome in this book.

In this book it was was said that children often have imaginary friends but then it says that Chad was often taunted for having an imaginary friend. I am tired of reading about children having imaginary friends that they forget over time. I didn't have an imaginary friend and no one I know ever had an imaginary friend. Books like these, incite children to create imaginary friends.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen this book around the library for a long time, but I never knew what it was about. I finally picked it up to read to my little guy. LOVED IT! It's so sweet and sad and cute and heartwarming. Reminded me a bit of how I felt watching the movie "Up." I want to try to work it into our bedtime rotation (or even if I end up doing more storytimes at the library - might be good for that).

[Sarah Limb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was very cute and silly! I liked the illustrations a lot and the prospect of having an imaginary best friend is so sweet and comforting. Again, I’m not giving it the 5 stars because I reserve that for the stories I REALLY love and connect to. But I would not be opposed to owning this book one day.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story with super cute illustrations. Pingo is Chad's imaginary friend and after being teased for it, Chad decides they can no long have fun and go on adventures. So Pingo becomes a nuisance, until they decide to be friends again. Recommend for ANYONE who has had an imaginary friend:)

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting book about an imaginary friend, I liked the illustrations but since I never had an imaginary friend I didn't really connect with the story.

[Jon Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood imaginary friend becomes lifelong imaginary enemy. Love it.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book, great illustrations, and evokes your imagination. Some deeper themes there if you think about it.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda feel bad for Pingo :(
I mean, I wouldn't have stuck around after being ignored for as long as he was.

[Smurf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was funny and entertaining, and the illustrations are wonderful. It hits home for anyone who grew up with an imaginary friend.

[Jazmyn Dolbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious spin on the imaginary friend.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew Chad was too old to play with Lingo, and also I gave it 3 stars because he put syrup and peanut butter in Chad's backpack.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is a bit boring but the illustrations are fantastic. It’s a beautiful book.

[Crystal Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a smart child, read them fairy tales, if want a smarter child? Read them more fairy tales.. Einstein
This is a cute book about growing up and thinking we don't need our imaginary friends. Brandon Mull continues to give us warm hugs with his vivid storytelling. The illustrations are so beautiful. Chef's kiss💋

May we NEVER lose our imagination 😁

[Stanley Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and creative the illustrations are on point. Brandon Mull, and Brandon Dorman are excellent together.

[Nicole Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic!

[Ems Loves to Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute!

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

After hearing so much about Brandon Mull's prodigious way with words, I was intrigued at the thought of reading this book. Having not yet read any of Brandon Mull's popular novels, Pingo was to be my first experience with his writing, and I looked forward to finding out what I'd been missing. As it turns out, everything good I've heard about Brandon Mull seems to be true. In the picture book medium, one so hard for an author to get a handle on especially when such short sections of text are used as in Pingo, word selection is absolutely crucial, and only the best writers can consistently develop stories worthy of being told. Pingo is definitely worth two and a half stars, and I'm going to round it up to three. It is definitely better than the average book, in my opinion.

Imaginary friends, just like those that are physically present, come in all shapes and sizes; however, Chad really takes his own pathway in dreaming up Pingo, conjuring himself a small mammalian being who, judging from appearance, is decidedly inhuman. That doesn't matter to Chad, though. Growing up through his early years is a lot more fun with an adventurous pal like Pingo around all the time. Pingo's capacity for imagination matches Chad's byte for byte, taking the two of them through ninja battles, secret apothecarial conclaves and surely a lot more. It's only as Chad grows older, and other kids his age enter the picture, that this arrangement hits a snag. Suddenly, playing with an imaginary friend isn't thought of as a cool thing to do, and Chad's inevitable decision to choose his human friends over the relic of his past that Pingo has become leaves his former mate in adventurous undertakings alone in the dust. However, Pingo won't take this rejection lying down...

Pingo doesn't just go away when Chad stops thinking about him. Taking a proactive response to the snub, Pingo allies himself with all the imaginary dangers of life against Chad, doing what he can to stymie his former friend whenever possible. Even as Chad grows into adulthood, Pingo won't let it go, causing him difficulty when the opportunity arises and forcing Chad to remember his imaginary friend is still there even decades after he'd been left behind. As Chad changes, however, and life kneads him like impressionable clay into a softer man as he grows old, it becomes easier for him to look back on parts of his life that have lain mostly forgotten, and appreciate those things that he once took for granted or thought were unimportant. Even now, perhaps there's hope of a future for two best friends who haven't lined up on the same team for a long time. Because one of them never would give up on what they once had, there's always the chance of another day together to be had in the future, a day that can be as good as anything the past had to offer.

When does an untended friendship move beyond its expiration date, so even the hope of an eventual reunion withers and blows away like dust? I suppose the circumstances are slightly different in every relationship, but I would tend to think total desiccation of a friendship will never happen as long as one of the principals still cares, as long as he or she holds on to the thought that the erstwhile days of camaraderie could still return, and what had been such pleasant interaction could be resurrected seemingly from the dead. That's why Pingo is such an appealing and encouraging character, I think. Pingo is the embodiment of that voice in our heads telling us never to quit on a good friendship, that even the end never really is quite the end, and the most irreversible schisms aren't quite as irreversible as our discouragement may lead us to believe. Pingo shows what the persistence of a good friend can do, and what a blessing it is when two friends who never should have been separated are, at last, reunited.

With this excellent picture book debut, Brandon Mull has proved his ability to write successfully for kids of all ages, and I think Brandon Dorman is a good illustrating partner for him. I look forward to reading more about Pingo in the future, and trying out some of Brandon Mull's novels when I get the chance. Pingo is a good story that I would recommend to just about anyone who reads picture books.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enter to win Pingo at http://fireandicephoto.blogspot.com/2... ends 12/9/10

Description from Deseret Book.com "What happens when your imaginary friend turns into your imaginary enemy? New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull and No.1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Brandon Dorman team up in this new children’s picture book that explores the meaning of friendship and imagination. Like many kids his age, Chad has an imaginary friend. His friend was Pingo. The two would fight ninjas, brew magical potions, and float in zero gravity. Each day was a fun-filled adventure, until Chad decided he was too old to have an imaginary friend. But Pingo wasn’t ready to leave Chad alone, and started tormenting him and causing all kinds of mischief. Can this once inseparable duo ever be friends again? Paired with charming illustrations, Pingo is a delightful read-out-loud picture book for children ages 3 and up.

Meet Pingo... complete with devil horns and polka dotted boxers. And get used to him because he's not about to leave. He's an imaginary friend turned to the dark side after being unsuccessfully dismissed by his owner. Pingo comes back playing pranks and leading Pirate raids in nighttime dreams. As Chad grows into an old man, he misses his side kick and they begin a whole new set of travels together. You'll be giggling along with your children as the mischief is never ending!

Pingo has swiftly become a family favorite. How clever it is to see the floating Fablehaven book in Chad's room during Zero gravity fun. Brandon Dorman's illustrations are out of this world! Pair his talent with Brandon Mull's writing and you have a winning combination. My children were entranced with this little troll and his bright yellow cover.

[American Mensa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was about a boy and his imaginary friend Pingo. They had a lot of fun and fought ninjas together in the boy's dreams. One day, when the boy was growing up, he said that he had grown up and that Pingo was not his friend any more. He thought Pingo would go away. But then Pingo became his enemy and things that used to be fun now became scary -- like floating in zero gravity was no fun outside. Pingo even poured syrup and peanut butter into the boy's backpack. Pirates came into the boy's room at night. When the boy really grew up and got old and needed dentures, Pingo stole his dentures. They finally became friends again when the boy said, "I'm tired, let's be friends again." Then they went to Africa, the ocean on jet skis, and met wise Indians together.

I think other kids will like this book because the pictures are really nice. The story is cool and sad at the same time. It's a little like that story about this other boy and his tree.

My favorite parts were from the boy's imagination, like when they fought ninjas together and zero gravity was no fun outside. I love that sentence: "zero gravity was no fun outside." It was funny when Pingo poured syrup and peanut butter into the boy's backpack.

4 stars - I like it

Drake B., 5, San Francisco Regional Mensa