Title Argus Series --- Author Michelle Knudsen Illustrator Andrea Wesson Publisher Candlewick Press - 2011 First Printing Candlewick Press - 2011 Category Children Warnings None Main Characters Sally, Argus Main Elements Dragons

Sally's class is doing a science project, and Mrs. Henshaw is handing out eggs for hatching. "Mine looks different," says Sally. "Don't be difficult," says Mrs. Henshaw. When Sally's egg cracks, what emerges is something green and scaly with big yellow eyes. Argus isn't like the other chicks;he isn't small and fuzzy, and he doesn't like seeds and bugs. He'd rather eat other chicks (or children, as he grows even bigger). Watching the other kids playing with their identical chicks, Sally wonders, would she be better off without Argus? With sly humor and a subtle tug at the heartstrings, Michelle Knudsen hatches a story about learning not just to tolerate, but to love what is different, while Andrea Wesson's endearing illustrations bring the tale to life with quirky details and offbeat charm.

This is one of those silly books where people stick to what they think something should be even when it's obviously not (which is why no one is bothered by the fact Argus is dragon, they all think he's just a weird chicken). While I find the reactions of the characters a bit of a stretch, I kind of liked how Sally was different...but it wasn't she herself who was different. It was her chick growth charts, and pictures of her chick, and what he liked to eat (including other students) that made her stand out. In fact, this book kind of had a Robert Munsch feel to it, maybe it was the absurdity of the plot. But in the end, Sally realized that being different doesn't mean being bad and when Argus goes missing she thinks she should be happy, but then breaking out in tears, she realized she loves her green scaly chick!