Pets...

Of course, the ever begging child that wants a PET...and the parent that tries to deter that longing.



A Pet For Petunia by Paul Schmid
Petunia wants a pet....SKUNK....and shockingly her parents tell her NO. Petunia is convinced her parents are HORRIBLE and is beside herself when she hears her parents reasoning, because skunks stink. Petunia decides she can not continue to live in that atmosphere and takes to the great outdoors. It is in the great outdoors she meets one of those adorable skunks she so longs for and is sprayed....so maybe instead she would like a porcupine. Very simple text and pictures. The pictures consist of 3 colors: purple, white, and black. Kids will enjoy the absurdity, I hope, of wanting a pet skunk!!!

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves (Simple, 3 colors, but fits nicely with story)





Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Ok, I thought it was hilarious. I tried it with first grade....they did not get it. I tried it with third grade...they liked it. I tried it with fourth...they thought it was as hilarious as me. Lucy, a bear, finds a boy in the woods and takes him home to show her mother. Her mother is not crazy about a pet BUT if Lucy promises to take care of her pet, she may keep him. Unfortunately for Lucy, as is sometimes the case with "strays", the boy finds his family again and goes home.

Story: 4 Buckeye leaves (especially if you are over 8)
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves


Jacob O'Reilly Wants a Pet by Lynne Rickards
Jake wants a pet but can't decide which pet would be the best choice. His parents suggests he starts a pet sitting business so that he can decide which pet he would most like, and secretly they hope he will decide that NONE of the pets will be his choice.

Story: 5 Buckeye leaves (rhyming)
Illustrations 5 Buckeye leaves

And I saved the BEST for last....


Small Brown Dog With a With A Wet Pink Nose by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
I LOVE this book. First off, the title in itself is hilarious. You open the book and the endpages are ADORABLE with dogs all over. Amelia of course, longs for a dog. BUT not just any dog will do - it must be A SMALL BROWN DOG WITH A WET PINK NOSE. Through a series of conversations, Amelia, a rather devious and manipulating child, manages to get her parents to agree to all sorts of things IF they ever got a dog. And one day an "imaginary" dog shows up at their house. Of course the Bones is A SMALL BROWN DOG WITH A WET PINK NOSE. Life is good until that dog, Bones, runs away and the family must go look for it and end up at the animal shelter where amazingly they find Bones. The back endpages then have the 5 Easy Steps to Getting Your First Dog. The illustrations are adorable and fun. The story is very funny for all ages as older readers will realize what Amelia is up to.

Story: 5+ buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5+ Buckeye leaves