Reviewed by: One Cool Friend Jeannette Hulick Buzzeo, Toni . One Cool Friend; illus. by David Small. Dial, 2012. [40p]. ISBN 978-0-8037-3413-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 6-9 yrs. After Elliott convinces his father to allow him to bring home a penguin (Dad thinks he means a toy) from the aquarium, he sets Magellan (named after the explorer who discovered the species) up in style, creating an ice rink in his bedroom using a wading pool, the garden hose, and the lowest air-conditioning setting. Elliott reads up on his new pet ("I have some research to do at the library about Magellan," [End Page 296] he tells Dad, who replies, "When I was in third grade, I got Captain Cook"), feeds him anchovy pizza, and lets him hang out in the freezer and the bathtub. In a clever twist at the book's end, readers discover that Elliott is not the only one with an exotic pet—the "Captain Cook" Dad referred to was not the explorer but a Galápagos tortoise. Jacket flap gives the story's origins as an urban legend, and there are also clear nods to the beloved Mr. Popper's Penguins. Kids who have often wished they could bring home their favorite zoo critters will find this delightful, and all will enjoy the clever ways that the penguin is kept from Dad's attention even while the tortoise is kept from the viewer's (close scrutiny will find many hints to the tortoise's presence). The comic characterizations of Elliott and his father, and Small's lively ink, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations—especially those featuring the penguin (he skates with flair and looks adorable in a bike helmet en route to the library)—will make this a popular choice for both reading aloud and reading alone. Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois