I do not often review children's books but as a lover of guinea pigs I could not resist reading this one.

I am so glad that I decided to as this is a delightful little book. It is a collection of individual stories based on the lives of guinea pigs that have belonged to the author over the years. The author tells the stories in a way that made me feel as though she were telling me a bedtime story.

Supported by charming pencil drawn illustrations, this book will please both children and grown ups alike who have a fondness for our cavy friends.

Not just any guinea pigs!
Owners of guinea pigs know what rascally predicaments these little guys can get themselves into.
This is one family's tales of the silly ups and downs and adventures of their many piggies through the years. These are firsthand accounts straight from the piggies themselves!

So sweet and bittersweet at the same time! I loved this!

(I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley)

This book is made up of a collection of short stories about guinea pigs. The illustrations are hand drawn and nice to look at. The font is very small and would likely scare some younger readers off. It is well written and appropriate for the age group, but I could see this book falling into the back of my classroom library and being passed over by many students as it doesn't grab the attention of early and middle grade readers.

My family and I currently have four guinea pigs, two males and two females. Having guinea pigs when I was growing up I knew I would enjoy having guinea pigs again as an adult. Guinea pigs are a bit skittish, but they are so soft and love cuddles. Guinea pigs do not do well as solitary animals and must have a friend with them as they get very lonely.
This book is a fictionalized version of the life and adventures of the author and her family's six guinea pigs over twenty years. From outside adventures, playing in the snow, being visited by Santa and almost becoming famous doing commercials for a drink company the guinea pigs and their family had so much fun. I could see the piggies were very loved and well taken care of. This book is the perfect fit for me, and I loved reading about the guinea pigs' adventures.

Pub Date 01 Dec 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

My Daughter loves guinea pigs, we have had lots of them since she was born. So this book was right up her street.
She loved the tales of the piggies and the pictures that brought the stories to life. The only negative point was that she wished the stories were longer

The Guinea Pig Chronicles is an absolutely delightful book based on the adventures of some real-life guinea pigs.

The book is a collection of six stories, each centred around one or two of the author’s beloved pets. There’s Fluffy (the brave explorer), Hamish (the beautiful and brave piggie), Jynesse (the almost famous pig), Winter (who experiences snow with his little friend for the first time), Autumn and Valentino (a match made in heaven) and little Stripey (the last guinea pig to live with the author’s family).
What I Thought of The Guinea Pig Chronicles:

Not only did I love the charming stories, but I also adored the sketches of the various guinea pigs that were scattered throughout the book. They appear to be pencil crayon sketches and are absolutely lovely. Katie John is the talented illustrator.

I’ve had a variety of guinea pigs over my life also, so I really resonated with this sweet book. If I was still teaching Grade 1 I would definitely read one story a day to my class, as I think they’d inspire all sorts of wonderful animal writing!

This book is perfect for anyone who loves animals, and/or has their own guinea pig. I think it’s a wonderful book for parents to read aloud to their younger children (maybe 5-8 years), and for young independent readers (about 8-12 years).

Thank you to Net Galley and Matador for a copy of the book!

Oh my goodness this book is so cute!!! As a life long Guinea pig addict this was so much fun to read! I love the illustrations and each story wars wonderful! Highly recommend for children and adults alike!

The Guinea Pig Chronicles by Patricia Maxwell Watts published by Matador is a seriously cute and tender children's books, describing the adventures, sad, happy, joyous of the various guinea pigs that the family has had. There is the big adventurer, Fluffy, then Hamish frequently sick: the one named after a health drink made from liquorice and lemons, Jynesse: the owner thought that it was great to contact the company that produced this liquorice, proposing Jynesse as testimonial and can you guess? The little guinea pig could became the focus for their advertising...
Winter arrived for the preparation of Christmas Tree: the final cute stories involve Autumn and Stripey. I have had guinea pigs and I remember them as the cutest animals of all this Earth and perfect animal companions for children.

I warmly suggest to all of you this cute, sweet children's books! Perfect for Christmas!

I thank NetGalley and Matador for the ebook.

Anna Maria Polidori