I Wanna Iguana

Author: Karen Kaufman Orloff

Illustrator: David Catrow

Published By: Scholastic Inc. 2004

Genre: picture book, realistic fiction

Age Range: grades 1-2

The story in this book is made up of letters written between Alex, who wants an iguana very much, and his mother, who does not want him to have one. In the letters Alex tries to convince his mom that an iguana would make a great pet and that he would take very good care of it. His mom writes back her reasons for not wanting him to have one.

This book is so cute and funny. Alex always signs his letters with different descriptions of himself before he signs his name. My favorite couple of letters read as follows:

"Dear Mom,

Forget the girl. I need a new friend now! This iguana can be the brother I've always wanted.

Love,

Your lonely child,

Alex"

"Dear Alex,

You have a brother.

Love,

Mom"

The pictures that go along with the letters are also so funny and brightly colored. They really add to the playful tone of the book.

This book would be a great way to teach kids about letter writing and the proper format such as the greeting, like "Dear Mom," or "Dear Alex", the body of the letter, the closing, and the signature. Alex uses a couple of words to close his letters: Signed, and Love. He also adds in his descriptions of himself into the closing. A class could talk about other options such as "sincerely", or "forever yours", and when to use the different options. Alex also makes a good argument for getting an iguana, even presenting facts that I assume he found himself. Students could learn about looking into different things they are interested in so as to make their own decisions about what is good or bad for them.