Capyboppy

From Amazon.com, an anonymous review of the 1966 Capyboppy book by Bill Peet: "This book was my favorite as a child. Capyboppy is so cute and lovable what child wouldn't like him? Every time we went to the library, I'd beg my dad to check it out and read it to me."
I thought I had written this review until I realized it was my mom, not my dad, that I would beg to check it out for me. I must have taken this book out of the library more than any other book. As a young child, I was enthralled with the story of this large rodent from the Amazon (wow... I used the word Amazon twice in one blog!) jungles becoming the pet of a young boy in a suburban neighborhood. And the drawings, although just black and white pencil drawings, were so captivating! When I got older I started collecting all of Bill Peet's books, and I started with Capyboppy. Most book stores carry a few of Bill Peet's books, but usually just the soft cover variety, so I always special ordered the hard covers for my collection. I have also been lucky enough to be friends with someone at my local library who always lets me know when any Bill Peet books are being discarded, and I am able to add it to my collection. I bough a copy of "Bill Peet, An Autobiography" and was thrilled to see that it was done like one of his childrens books, with large print and filled with those great pencil drawings. It was in this autobiography that I learned that Peet had spent many years working for Disney animation and was responsible for designing many of the characters in Sleeping Beauty which happens to be one of my all time favorite Disney movies.
Some of my other favorite Bill Peet books are; "Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent", "Farewell to Shady Glade", "Fly, Homer Fly" and "Merle the High Flying Squirrel".