The Trouble with Hector, by Bonnie Denmark, is a playful children’s book about a boy who spends his carefully saved $3.98 on a lizard who has already been returned to the pet shop nineteen times. Hector quickly proves to be affectionate, unusual, and a little combustible. When he’s worried, hungry, or sad, his breath heats up until sparks and flames start flying, which turns ordinary moments at home and school into escalating comic disasters. The story moves at a lively pace, and Denmark’s rhyming text gives it the kind of bounce that should work especially well when read aloud.

What gives the story some emotional weight is the boy’s loyalty to Hector. He doesn’t give up on his pet when things get difficult. Instead, he tries meditation and yoga with him, comforts him after he’s sent out of the classroom, sneaks him food, and eventually builds him a cozy treehouse when Hector can’t stay indoors anymore. That relationship keeps the book warm even while the jokes get bigger and smokier. There’s also a nice childlike logic to the whole setup: of course a bargain-bin mystery lizard might breathe fire, and of course the kid who bought him would still think he was worth every cent.

Mina Sešek’s illustrations are a major part of the picture book’s personality. Hector’s bulging eyes, curled tail, purplish-and-green markings, and increasingly sooty face make him expressive even before the text tells us what he’s feeling. The images also carry plenty of visual humor, from the pet-shop sign warning customers to “BUY AT YOUR OWN RISK” to the burned curtain, smoking seesaw, and school-lunch chaos. The soft, hand-drawn look and generous use of pinks, greens, oranges, and muted pastels give the book a friendly visual warmth that keeps Hector’s fire-breathing from ever feeling threatening. I especially like how the later treehouse scenes open up the setting and give the story a cozy, almost storybook-hideaway feeling.

The ending gives Hector’s fiery problem an unexpectedly sweet solution when he meets a girl lizard and immediately settles down. From there, the book closes on an affectionate joke: Hector may be calm now, but he’s still occasionally useful for roasting marshmallows. It’s a charming finish that fits the book’s lighthearted tone and brings the story back to the bond between the boy and his very strange pet. The Trouble with Hector is an energetic and funny picture book with a memorable creature at its center, a warm sense of friendship, and illustrations that give kids plenty to notice beyond the words.

Pages: 32 | ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0GSSLG3HF