My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel

 My Snake Blake by Randy Siegel, illustrated by Serge Bloch

Rating: 4.5 stars

Introducing the only snake I'd ever let live in my house: Blake.  I love what author Randy Siegel does here--he turns an icky and scary snake into a witty, polite pet!  It's a good example of what happens when a good story-teller with a great sense of humor asks him/herself "what if?" while walking around a pet store.  This book is pure fun, and makes Ben and Lorelei giggle as kids should.

A boy's father gets him a pet snake for his birthday, and it turns out that this snake is no ordinary snake.  Ask him a question and he'll spell out the answer for you with his body.  His mom is freaked out until:

The rest of the book is just a list of funny things (with accompanying funny illustrations by Serge Bloch) that Blake does, like find car keys under the sofa, lick the dishes clean, play baseball with the boy, and walk the dog (with a noose-like grip around the trusting pup's neck).

Totally worth checking out.  Totally not getting a snake as a pet anytime soon, though.