Lizard From the Park

Lizard From the Park written and illustrated by Mark Pett (2015)

Leonard finds an egg in the park and takes it home. The next day a lizard hatches from the egg and Leonard calls him Buster. At first Leonard and Buster enjoy doing everything together, but soon Buster gets too big to hide among the crowds in the city. Leonard hides Buster in his room, but even that becomes too small for Buster. Then Leonard has an idea. He collects all the balloons he can find, and waits for the giant balloons to pass by in the parade. Then Leonard ties the balloons onto Buster and the float in the air with the other balloons. Leonard floats Buster right over the city and back to the deepest darkest part of the park. When they float gently down to the ground, Buster returns to his family in the park and Leonard returns home.

This unusual story about friendship between a boy and a lizard is the basis for a more traditional friendship between two boys. The second boy is never mentioned in the story, but you can follow him from page to page as he appears in several scenes with Leonard and Buster. In the end, it’s the two boys who become friends.