Best in Show

SpongeBob SquarePants: Best in Show
© Paramount Global
Author:	Tracey West
Illustrator:	Vincent Deporter
Content:	61 pages
Language:	English
Rating:	General
Publishing/Release Date:	December 2003
Based on:	The television series SpongeBob SquarePants
Preceded by:	SpongeBob’s Secret Valentine
Followed by:	SpongeBob and the Princess

Best in Show is a SpongeBob book written by Tracey West and illustrated by Vincent Deporter.

Characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Squidward Tentacles
• Gary the Snail
• Rocky
• Fred Fishley
• Bubble Bass
• Pet show judges
• Pets completing at the pet show and their owners
• Fish with fliers

Plot

At the Krusty Krab, Squidward is given a flyer for the Bikini Bottom Pet Show by a fish. Upon hearing Squidward read the flyer, SpongeBob states that he knows Gary could win. Squidward does not believe him, but SpongeBob claims that he’s "just jealous because he doesn’t have a pet to enter in the contest." Squdward claims that he may indeed have a pet to enter in the contest and insults Gary, angering SpongeBob. After work, SpongeBob races home and tells Gary that he entered him in the contest. Gary is nervous, but SpongeBob tells him that they’ll win the pet show no matter what it takes.

With the pet show being a week away, SpongeBob spends the time training Gary long and hard. When the big day arrives, Squidward reveals his pet to be a rock named Rocky. SpongeBob laughs at him and ridicules his choice of pet, but the judges are impressed. The first competition has the pets showing off fashionable costumes to wear at the beach. Squidward dons a seashell bikini on Rocky, while Gary is given a "shimmering, faux fur-trimmed mermaid suit." Both pets impress the judges.

In the talent contest, Squidward orders Rocky to sit, stay and play dead. Being a rock, Rocky does nothing, impressing the judges. Gary "juggles fire with his eye stalks," "slides across a tightrope" and "writes love notes to the judges in slime," which causes the judges to clap and cheer.

Finally, Fred Fishley, the host of the pet show, asks a final question to the pets: "What is the most important quality a pet can have?" When asked, Rocky says nothing, while Gary meows; SpongeBob translates it, stating that "a pet is also a friend, and although friends do anything for each other, friends also respect each other’s feelings." Though the judges are impressed, Gary sadly slithers offstage. SpongeBob chases after him but soon realizes that he didn’t respect Gary’s feelings at all and emotionally confesses that he pushed Gary into dong the pet show. He then announces that Gary has withdrawn from the competition and heads home with him.

After some confusion and a discussion with the judges, Fred declares Rocky the winner. However, Squidward learns that his prize is for a picture of him and Rocky to be taken, with the picture to appear on the label of every can of Barnacle Bites, a pet food that sponsors the pet show. Sometime later, SpongeBob feeds Gary some Barnacle Bites at home, stating that he’s the best pet in all of Bikini Bottom even though Squidward won the prize.