Genre
Humorous stories
Picture books for children
Subject
Boys
Iguanas as pets
Mothers
Mothers and sons
Persistence in children
Personal letters
Pets

Age: 3-8 years old

Alex just has to convince his mom to let him have an iguana, so he puts his arguments in writing. He promises that she won't have to feed it or clean its cage or even see it if she doesn't want to. Of course Mom imagines life with a six-foot-long iguana eating them out of house and home. But Alex presents his arguments. Does he get his iguana?

Adorable book about a boy who REALLY wants an Iguana. He writes persuasive notes to his mom about why he should have an iguana and she writes back with counter arguments. All of the letters are creatively signed and the pro/con arguments are well thought out. This would make an excellent book to teach children about debate.

“I Wanna Iguana” is a funny book filled with colorful and descriptive drawings that really express the character’s feelings and opinions on the topic of a pet iguana. Alex, the main character, really wants a pet iguana, so he spends the bulk of this book trying to convince his mom to let him get one. His mother, in turn, replies to his arguments with her own, as she does not believe that she should get an iguana due to a variety of different reasons, such as the fact that Alex cannot keep his room clean. The illustrations correspond with each argument that both mother and son provide, such as when Alex’s mom asks if Alex would still want to have an iguana if it would survive until he would marry someone, and the author provides a picture of an iguana and Alex getting married. These humorous illustrations add to the overall appeal of this book to readers, as the text is not the only thing that they need to be able to understand in order to figure out what the author is trying to say/display. The main message of this book that the author is attempting to reveal to readers is that it is important to support and be persistent with what you want if you are truly passionate about something. This is especially geared towards a younger audience, as smaller children tend to be more interested in getting pets but their parents are more hesitant as they believe that they are not quite ready for that responsibility. Younger children are also much more persistent and “set in their ways” so that adds to my belief that this book would serve as a more beneficial text for them. ( )