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Capyboppy
The creator of whimsical fantasies featuring a bevy of lifelike and lovable creatures, Bill Peet consistently combined excellent storytelling with enduring illustrations, becoming one of the most popular picture book creators of our time. Born in Grandview, Indiana, Bill Peet nurtured his childhood drawing talent and was awarded a scholarship to the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, where he studied painting and design. After a brief apprenticeship period, he went to work for Walt Disney as a sketch artist, eventually becoming a screenwriter and helping to produce such beloved films as Fantasia, 101 Dalmations, and Peter Pan. In 1959 Bill Peet published his first book, Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, going on to write and illustrate over thirty successful books for children.
64 pages, Paperback
Published April 29, 1985
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1,325 people want to read
About the author
Bill Peet
43Ìýbooks229ÌýfollowersBill Peet was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer for Disney Studios. He joined Disney in 1937 and worked on The Jungle Book, Song of the South, Cinderella, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, Goliath II, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Dumbo, Pinocchio, Fantasia, The Three Caballeros, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and other stories.
After successes developing short stories for Disney, Peet had his first book published, Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure.
After successes developing short stories for Disney, Peet had his first book published, Hubert's Hair Raising Adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
May 21, 2020
I thought this book was cool. It’s a memoir or biography about life at the Peet household. At first I thought it might be fiction, but then we get to see inside Bill Peet’s studio and there are drawings of Chester, the Worldly Pig. It was an AH HA moment. His son is confusingly named Bill also and he loved to collect animals he found. He wanted a boa constrictor and the family all said no to that, so he decided to get an animal from South America from the swamps there. It’s a rodent with no tail and a gentle personality. It’s a real animal called a capybara, the largest existing rodent. So, they brought this thing in their home and raised it. This long story is about its adventures living with people.
It’s a fascinating story. Even the Nephew was captivated. This little thing was an interesting animal. I can’t imagine many people in US history owned one. This is a unique story and because it’s true, it’s more interesting.
The artwork is all in black and white, no color. All of Bill’s family are in this story and their home. There are autobiographical moments in here.
Like I stated, the nephew was captivated by this. He couldn’t believe this animal existed. He thought it was a funny little thing and he might want one now. I told him it’s not possible to get one and his dog would hate it. He assigned this 4 stars.
It’s a fascinating story. Even the Nephew was captivated. This little thing was an interesting animal. I can’t imagine many people in US history owned one. This is a unique story and because it’s true, it’s more interesting.
The artwork is all in black and white, no color. All of Bill’s family are in this story and their home. There are autobiographical moments in here.
Like I stated, the nephew was captivated by this. He couldn’t believe this animal existed. He thought it was a funny little thing and he might want one now. I told him it’s not possible to get one and his dog would hate it. He assigned this 4 stars.
March 30, 2017
I really enjoyed this true story of the Peet family's attempt to welcome a capybara into their home, garage, yard. Peet's artwork is winsome and engaging. I particularly liked the drawing of Capy lying on the couch with his head on Mrs. Peet's lap, and the one of him being toweled off after a shower; he's got a big, goofy grin on his snout.
The ending is rather bittersweet, but it does serve as a reminder that wild animals DO NOT make good pets.
The ending is rather bittersweet, but it does serve as a reminder that wild animals DO NOT make good pets.
November 18, 2014
Both my parents swear they read this to me, but while I remember every other Bill Peet book in near perfect detail, I had no recollection of either the story or illustrations in this when I tracked it down this year. It blew me away.
Capyboppy is different from all his books not only in the way the illustrations are black and white, but in the whole tone of the story. It is essentially a nonfiction recounting, drawn from his own life, and featuring a pet rather than wild animals. But what a pet!
The story is very much a time-locked one - try imagining a world today where a wild animal bites a child hard enough to make him bleed, and instead of bringing in police and lawyers, it just makes a fun newspaper story. (Of course, it does force them to reevaluate his suitability as a household pet, but I think that's another product of the time in the first place. How many capybaras have you seen in your neighbors' backyards?)
The illustrations completely capture the animal's cuteness (and then some), and the way he describes its sound as a "tweetle-tweet" is charming. The imagery of a pile of cats flying in all directions at the brain-breaking sight of a giant rodent invading their territory is priceless. There's even something about the idea of him "chewing his grass in sullen silence" that I love; I can just picture the expression on its face.
All in all, a brilliant book no matter your age. I love every word in this so much I can't stop reading it. The only drawback is that now I can't stop wishing I could have just one night spent reading on a loveseat with a sleepy capybara curled up next to me.
Capyboppy is different from all his books not only in the way the illustrations are black and white, but in the whole tone of the story. It is essentially a nonfiction recounting, drawn from his own life, and featuring a pet rather than wild animals. But what a pet!
The story is very much a time-locked one - try imagining a world today where a wild animal bites a child hard enough to make him bleed, and instead of bringing in police and lawyers, it just makes a fun newspaper story. (Of course, it does force them to reevaluate his suitability as a household pet, but I think that's another product of the time in the first place. How many capybaras have you seen in your neighbors' backyards?)
The illustrations completely capture the animal's cuteness (and then some), and the way he describes its sound as a "tweetle-tweet" is charming. The imagery of a pile of cats flying in all directions at the brain-breaking sight of a giant rodent invading their territory is priceless. There's even something about the idea of him "chewing his grass in sullen silence" that I love; I can just picture the expression on its face.
All in all, a brilliant book no matter your age. I love every word in this so much I can't stop reading it. The only drawback is that now I can't stop wishing I could have just one night spent reading on a loveseat with a sleepy capybara curled up next to me.
June 23, 2019
A reread of a favourite Bill Peet.
April 28, 2008
Although the ending is very sad, especially if you know Capyboppy's ultimate fate, the book is very nicely drawn and the story is touching. Plus it is the only book currently available that features a capybara and that is worth a lot.
April 29, 2021
Cute story if you can ignore the fact that they abduct a baby Capybara from the amazon and then mistreat him when he acts like a wild animal stuck in captivity. Since he was in captivity so long and grew up there, he now can't go back to the wild. So he gets to spend his life in the zoo, in a pen with hippos.
May 9, 2018
A blast from the past as this was a childhood favourite of mine from my Primary School library. I loved the illustrations and the very exotic capybara. As a child I felt sad for Capy after he was kicked into the pool. Upon re-reading it as an adult and knowing about the trades in exotic animals as pets I still feel sad for him but also angry as animals such as Capy should not be taken from their own environment to be kept as pets.
January 22, 2023
“To Capy there was nothing quite to wonderful as a graham cracker� OH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH
March 20, 2024
Enjoyed reading this book to Moses and learned more about these animals after seeing them at the National Aquarium in Abu Dhabi!
June 15, 2024
These are the kinds of stories I love to tell, and therefore love to read. Real life, narrated and illustrated by the kind of eye that picks up the best parts that most people miss.
January 31, 2018
Going on a Bill Peet binge (and one that isn't even close to being finished yet) I chose to read this particular book out of my pile that I have since it was related to an actual true animal character. As a result this book explores the small bit of time when the Peet family opened up their house to their son's strange pet request of a young capybara and what it was like to have this giant rodent take up residence whether the results were good, bad and ugly.
With only the simple and yet entertaining tone that decorates most of his books, Bill Peet allows the reader yet again into his home. The reader gets an entertaining memoir that not only looks back in time but also educates the reader upon the biggest rodent in the world and why as is most often heard it isn't wise to keep wild animals even if they start off as cute adorable youngsters.
Furthermore Bill Peet's adorable and signature illustrations help to bring the story even more alive to the readers. Capyboppy keeps a charming and yet more animal-like face throughout the book while the illustrations on the neighboring cats mimic the humanish traits that decorate the majority of Peet's more well-known fictional characters.
All in all it was a great read and one that children will most definitely enjoy if they are into Peet.
With only the simple and yet entertaining tone that decorates most of his books, Bill Peet allows the reader yet again into his home. The reader gets an entertaining memoir that not only looks back in time but also educates the reader upon the biggest rodent in the world and why as is most often heard it isn't wise to keep wild animals even if they start off as cute adorable youngsters.
Furthermore Bill Peet's adorable and signature illustrations help to bring the story even more alive to the readers. Capyboppy keeps a charming and yet more animal-like face throughout the book while the illustrations on the neighboring cats mimic the humanish traits that decorate the majority of Peet's more well-known fictional characters.
All in all it was a great read and one that children will most definitely enjoy if they are into Peet.
June 2, 2010
Capyboppy is a sweet little children's book filled with Peet's whimsical artwork. The book relates the true story of one family's experience with trying to turn a capybara, a giant South American rodent, into a house pet.
This being a book published in the 1960s, it reflects the values of its time. Society was moving toward recognizing wildlife as something other than a roiling mass of expendable beasts--yet it still had a way to go. Thus there were numerous stories about individual animals becoming amusing and doted-upon pets. Nothing is said about the "wild animal dealer" from whom the author's son purchased the single baby Capy, but one gets the sense that story would not make for such an entertaining read. Today, a children's book about capybaras would more likely follow them in their natural habitat.
If you've read any of the other books about wild animals as pets, you probably know where this story is headed. Capy's story ends on an innocuous note that will have young readers grinning, but hopefully they also come away with the message that capybaras don't belong in living rooms.
This being a book published in the 1960s, it reflects the values of its time. Society was moving toward recognizing wildlife as something other than a roiling mass of expendable beasts--yet it still had a way to go. Thus there were numerous stories about individual animals becoming amusing and doted-upon pets. Nothing is said about the "wild animal dealer" from whom the author's son purchased the single baby Capy, but one gets the sense that story would not make for such an entertaining read. Today, a children's book about capybaras would more likely follow them in their natural habitat.
If you've read any of the other books about wild animals as pets, you probably know where this story is headed. Capy's story ends on an innocuous note that will have young readers grinning, but hopefully they also come away with the message that capybaras don't belong in living rooms.
April 29, 2018
Charming story (true, if I understand correctly) of a family who raises a capybara for the pet and then discovers it just isn't working out (and how to responsibly give the animal a new home).
I had never really heard about this large South American rodent until recently...and I enjoyed reading this book aloud over two days to my 3 year-old adventurous little boy. We found out together that we would not be good candidates to keeping a capybara for a pet, LOL.
The story was 4.5 stars in my book...good vocabulary...nothing to exciting (everyday, ordinary adventures), but definitely educational. The illustrations were 5 star all the way (I love Peet's illustrations/books) - charming, charming, charming...a great picture book to enjoy as a read aloud together.
Definitely fun and educational, reminding us that wild animals are not always great pets.
I had never really heard about this large South American rodent until recently...and I enjoyed reading this book aloud over two days to my 3 year-old adventurous little boy. We found out together that we would not be good candidates to keeping a capybara for a pet, LOL.
The story was 4.5 stars in my book...good vocabulary...nothing to exciting (everyday, ordinary adventures), but definitely educational. The illustrations were 5 star all the way (I love Peet's illustrations/books) - charming, charming, charming...a great picture book to enjoy as a read aloud together.
Definitely fun and educational, reminding us that wild animals are not always great pets.
July 9, 2008
Hardcover here, too. Absolutely my FAVORITE children's book. Bill Peet was at his best with this one. If I had kids of my own, I could justify making sure I got every book Bill Peet ever did. (Actually, that's a lie. I might do it anyway, even if Antonio never develops an affection for the stories. I hope he does, though.) I love Bill's art - I particularly remember still checking this out of the library in 4th grade - ahem - just because it was my favorite. And that was before I developed my delusions of artistry (I was still practicing guitar and hankering to be a writer back then).
January 28, 2012
After great anticipation from my children about reading this book I was left extreemly disappointed at the animal cruelty inside.I wouldnt recommend it for children.I would never recommend a book where an animal gets kicked and left to suffer like Capy did for children. Ever. This book actually teaches violence as an answer, which is not what children need.There is enough violence in our world without making it seem normal and OK.
September 17, 2016
I read this to my five-year-old son. It's not action-packed but the story is somehow compelling regardless. The illustrations are excellent. This book is a great choice for kids who can pay attention to a long picture book but not quite a chapter book without pictures.
Read-aloud, age five.
Read-aloud, age five.
August 28, 2007
Totally love this book. Definitely one of my favorite children's books. It makes me smile, it makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It also made me fall in love with the world's largest rodent.
June 4, 2009
Do you even have to ask?
Read
February 2, 2017Great story
February 5, 2017
CapyBoppy
January 31, 2018
Adventurous story about raising a capyboppy in your home. Very amusing.
Read
January 31, 2018I loved this book. It was amazing!
October 16, 2019
Adorable. I want a pet capy!
April 5, 2021
Probably one of the most influential books on me as a kid and a joy to re-read as an adult.
July 31, 2023
Entertaining quick read with kids. Cautionary tale about why we don’t keep wild animals as pets with some interesting facts about capybara thrown in. I did enjoy the fact that as a vintage read, it felt very relatable to real life. For example, the moment when the capybara injured the kid and the other child kicked the animal away out of instinct. The entire family felt bad for the capybara but that felt like a real, legitimate reaction to that frightening/stressful situation. And it was a very realistic reason for why keeping the capybara was no longer beneficial for the family or the animal.
We read this for the Build Your Library homeschool curriculum.
We read this for the Build Your Library homeschool curriculum.
March 20, 2021
This was a cute read aloud. We finished it in 3 nights and my 5&7 year olds loved it. They especially enjoyed the silly onomatopoeias, which made them laugh out loud.
July 21, 2022
What a delightful book.
April 9, 2024
Bill's mini zoo needs a new crew member... A capybara! Capyboppy finds everything he needs in the backyard and is a bit feisty about bedtime... But still! For 62 pages long, it's pretty captivating! Only took like 10 mins. to read, but has a good story.
July 15, 2022
Such a charming book.
My youngest has a stuffed capybara he is absolutely DEVOTED to, and when I brought this home from the library he screamed with delight.
This story is charming. I didn’t expect to read it in one sitting, but my 6yo, 4yo and almost 2yo were all in love with cappyboppy.
My youngest has a stuffed capybara he is absolutely DEVOTED to, and when I brought this home from the library he screamed with delight.
This story is charming. I didn’t expect to read it in one sitting, but my 6yo, 4yo and almost 2yo were all in love with cappyboppy.
July 1, 2017
This book brings back such good memories. We first read it when Ellie was 2 and Jake was 4 curled up on the couch in our old house. The kids didn't remember it too much but reading it again they really liked it. Funny.....Ellie sure did turn out to be like Bill, coincidence?....krb 7/1/17
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
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