Leave It to Plum!

Written by Matt Phelan

Narrated by Maxwell Glick

When a small mammal with an oversized ego tries to take over the zoo, just leave it to the big-hearted peacock Plum to save the day! From award-winning author Matt Phelan, the creator of Knights vs. Dinosaurs and its two sequels, Leave It to Plum! is a young middle grade novel perfect for reluctant readers and animal lovers everywhere.

Young Plum is one of the peacock ambassadors for the Athensville Zoo. Every day the peacocks are allowed to wander freely among the zoo’s visitors, delighting and guiding kids and grown-ups alike. The peacocks are very proud of their responsibility; none so much as kind, curious Plum.

But Itch the ningbing—a type of very small marsupial—doesn’t understand why those birdbrains should get so much freedom while he’s all cooped up. So he plots and plots, sure that he will escape and become the zoo ambassador!

With short chapters, award-winning author Matt Phelan’s Leave It to Plum! is a young middle grade novel full of warmth and humor. The first hilarious story in a duology about a young peacock with a big heart, a small mammal with a big ego, and the busy zoo they both live in as a must-have for fans of the Princess in Black and Mercy Watson series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063249653

Matt Phelan

Matt Phelan is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park, and The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal. He is the author/illustrator of the picture books Druthers and Pignic, as well as the graphic novels The Storm in the Barn (winner of the Scott O’Dell Award), Around the World, Bluffton, and Snow White. Matt lives in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.