Illustrated by Abby Carter
Clarion Books, 2006
Middle-grade Novel, 148 pages
Grades: 2-5 

Holbrook is a lizard who loves to paint. But no one in Rattler’s Bend understands how important art is. Hoping to find someone who will appreciate his artistic efforts, the young lizard sets off for Golden City — where he encounters a colorful cast of characters, from singing snails to streetwise pigeons. The elegant mink and renowned art patron Count Rainier Rumolde takes Holbrook under his paw and introduces him to the great artists of the day, among them the prima ballerina Margot Frogtayne and the gifted tenor Enrico Escargot. But not all that glitters is gold, and Holbrook soon finds himself trapped in a frightening world he didn’t know existed. His only chance of escape is to rely on the few tools at his disposal — imagination, courage, and newfound friends.