Hiding Hoover

by Elise Broach, Laura Huliska-Beith (Illustrator)

Aware that their father is absolutely against owning a pet, a brother and sister find themselves in a difficult situation when a loving dragon named Hoover appears one afternoon--causing the pair to come up with a clever plan to hide their new friend before their father gets back from work.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dragons

32 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2005

About the author

Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of children's books including Masterpiece, Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing, Missing on Superstition Mountain (the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy) as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher's Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/eliseb...

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daddy always said, "No pets."

No puppies or parakeets, cats or canaries, gerbils or turtles or mice.

No pets. NO PETS.

But then we found Hoover.

Okay, I was not really feeling this story about a brother and sister who have a dad with a strict no-pet policy. They find a very demented looking dragon in their backyard eating dandelions. This is our first clue in how brain-dead this dragon is.

The dragon is hungry, lost, and shy apparently. The kids lure him into the house with crackers. They can't hide him in the bed, they can't hide him in the closet. I'm unsure as to how he even fit in the house, by all rights he shouldn't have been able to get in the front door.

They try to disguise him as one of their friends, but end up making him pretend he's a coat rack.

When Daddy walked in that night, there was a new coat stand in our hallway. He hung up his jacket on one of the hooks. Then he tossed his hat on it... cr-runch!

Daddy didn't notice a thing.

That 'crunch' is the dragon eating daddy's hat.

Then Daddy needed something from the top shelf of the cupboard. We showed him how to climb our new stepladder, and how to slide back down too...

BUMP-slip, BUMP-slip, BUMP!

The kids are walking up the dragon's back ridges as if they are steps while the demented dragon furtively stuffs a whole chocolate cake in its mouth.

When we sat down to dinner, a fancy new lamp with a flickery flame hung over our heads. It got so hot, we thought we were going to melt... huffaluff, huffaluff, huff!

Daddy didn't notice a thing.

We see Daddy is sweating bullets and looking up at the ceiling. I'm hoping the kids are wrong about Daddy not noticing because if he's really not noticing all this he needs to a.) fire his eye doctor immediately (he wears glasses) and b.) perhaps consider that he's too stupid to live.

After dinner we took out our handy new vacuum cleaner. With a whisk, whisssk, whissskkk, we cleaned up the floor, till every last crumb was gone.

Um, the dragon is like fifty times the size of the kid. Unclear how he is convincingly "vacuuming" with it.

Then we all took a walk in the rain. What would we have done without our big flappy umbrella? It flipped and flapped so much, we were afraid it might fly away... flippity, flappity, flap!

Daddy didn't notice a thing.

We see all the neighbors looking on in absolute horror at the monstrosity that is shielding the kids from the rain. Also, a squirrel is hitching a ride on the dragon's wing for some reason.

Anyway, then we see them read books on their "new reading chair" which rumbles at the exciting parts.

And then we see the dragon perched on the bed to act as a bed-canopy for the kids as Daddy says good night.

Then the book inexplicably ends with a picture of the dragon and Daddy in the kitchen, drinking Cokes, eating roasted marshmallows, and playing cards. WTF?


Okay WHAT is going on here?!!?!?!? Why was the dad so adamant that the kids not have pets?! Was he allergic? Does he hate pets? THEN, why would he reject every normal, low-care pet the kids suggest and be okay with a HUGE dragon that is obviously a hazard in a hundred different ways and doesn't even fit into the house?!?! Is the dragon imaginary? Are the kids just 'imagining' a dragon? Why did the dad pretend not to notice the dragon for so long but then turn out to be in cahoots with it? Did they make a secret plan together?!!!?!?

I just don't get it. I don't get it. And I don't enjoy the stupid sounds Broach employs on every page, I find them annoying. Why did they name it Hoover? After the president? After the vacuum? I have so many unanswered questions.

[Jessa McCauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best premise, figuring out how to outwit their father’s “no pets” rule, but some clever ideas. My kids asked where the mom was in the book, so a chance to talk about single parent households and the possibility of a working mother.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely charming tale about a pair of siblings who think they're successfully hiding their pet dragon from their father, only for the final page to be the pair of them playing cards once the kids have gone to bed. Perfect for my Dino obsessed Tot.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children are forbidden from having pets by their father. One day they find a dragon in the backyard and in a moment are smitten with him. Determined to keep him, they try to find a way to hide him from their dad, who "didn't notice a thing."

Very cute illustrations.

[☕️Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dad's pretty dim.

[Linnea Frank]

Dad says no pets. But Hoover (a dragon) seems like a perfect fit! Can they successfully hide Hoover from Dad?

[Thia]

pets, dragons