ALA Booklist

%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title Jean Craighead George. %% Gr. 46. Dramatized scenes, complete with thoughts, conversation, and facial expressions, seem to be making a comeback in biographies. Children may find the fictionalization appealing, but even young readers sometimes suspect that the author is making up things. In autobiography, however, the reader grants the writer license to re-create scenes from the past and usually isn't troubled by questions of authenticity. The following books, one biographical and the other autobiographical, retell incidents from Jean Craighead George's life.Cary's book will surely intrigue fans of My Side of the Mountain and Julie of the Wolves The first page introduces four-year-old Jean as she explains to her mother why she's preparing to run away from home: The curly-haired girl frowned. `I'm tired of making my bed. I just mess it up again every night.' Although the reviewer's galley does not indicate sources, Cary evidently interviewed George and had access to her diaries, as well as her autobiography--Journey Inward (1982)--and other books listed in the bibliography of George's works. Despite the occasionally annoying dramatizations, Cary's is a lively, readable life story, tied in firmly with George's books and illustrated with a section of photographs.In Tarantula George tells of the many wild pets that lived with her family, particularly while her children were growing up. Each chapter describes a different animal or incident and begins with an intriguing title such as The Boa Constrictor and the Nancy Drew Club. Given the upbeat title and jacket, George's reputation with young readers, and the middle-grader's inherent interest in animals, this book would be an easy booktalk. Better still, George's humor, insights, and writing ability make the stories a treat to read aloud to a class or an individual child. (Reviewed November 15, 1996)

Horn Book

Brief, engaging stories about the many wild animals that lived in and around the author's home over the years are filled with humor, affection, and just enough drama. The tales focus on the intense, often surprising interaction between the George family and the animals--from a talking crow to a gluttonous crayfish. George's black-and-white watercolors decorate the book.

Kirkus Reviews

Over the years, George (There's an Owl in the Shower, 1995, etc.) and her three children moved a lot, but wherever they went they gave succor, shelter, and affection to a succession of injured or homeless wild creatures, from ferrets to falcons, spiders to salamanders, bats to box turtles. A screech owl who had fallen from his nest became a TV and toy-train addict in the Georges' care before his eventual return to the wild. Another time, a friend brought a duck egg and a goose egg to the Georges, both of which hatched into birds that grew up convinced they were people. The story nearly ended in disaster when the goose and duck were arrested by a local police officer for disturbing the peace, but George, as usual, came to the creatures' rescue. The book is brimming with similar stories, all narrated with humor and warmth, and all of which will show George's many fans yet another aspect of her life and work. (Nonfiction. 8-12)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A Newbery Award-winning author spins anecdotes about her own unusual pets, including a wolverine, falcon and boa constrictor. """"A one-of-a-kind lesson in living with nature, ...endearingly told,"""" said PW. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Transporting tarantulas in a purse may not be the norm elsewhere, but in the George household there's nothing unusual about it at all. A robin in a teacup, an owl in the shower, a bat in the refrigerator...all perfectly ordinary for a family of animal lovers. Noted for her environmental fiction and animal stories, George also shows readers how entertaining real life with wild creatures can be in this delightful autobiographical tale. Continuing a tradition started by her father, the author raised every sort of wild animal right alongside her own children. In a time when "anyone was free to bring home the earth's creatures to nurture and think about," George certainly did. Told in a casual and thoroughly engaging manner, the stories will enchant all animal lovers and even those who aren't. The integration of little-known facts will pique further interest as well. Equally entertaining for adults and children, these brief, amusing vignettes make wonderful read-alouds to share with the whole family.--Lisa Wu Stowe, Great Neck Library, NY