Land Shark by Beth Ferry

Bobby's birthday is approaching and he wants a pet.  But the pet Bobby has in mind is not exactly what his parents have in mind.  He drops all kinds of hints but when his special day arrives, his parent's gift is not exactly what he received.  The new family member is not very cooperative, chewing up things, and generally making a mess of the house.  Bobby can not, will not, ever like a dog...unless the dog is helping his cause.

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Melissa's Octopus and Other Unsuitable Pets by Charlotte Voake

Pets are an important part of many families.  Melissa feels the same way about her pet.  However Melissa's pet is a little exotic.  Melissa's pet is an elephant.  What about an octopus as a pet?  Arthur's warthog is beautiful, don't you agree?  But what is the most unsuitable pet?


Text:  4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall

Mr. and Mrs. Button have decided to buy a pet....unfortunately neither of them knows that OTHER one is doing so.  Mr. Button comes home with a dog and the same day Mrs. Button comes home with a cat.  Since the Button's only have one room for the new pets, they must share.  Each animal arranges their side of the room.  It is quickly apparent that these two pets are quite opposite.  Dog and Cat spend lots of time trying to make the other one leave.  There is no compromise and getting along with these two pets....UNTIL a new arrival appears at the Button house.  Funny book with a surprise ending.  A closer look at the illustrations, including the end pages, will provide kids and adults with lots of laughs!

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves (Spend time on the endpages too!!)
Text:  5 Buckeye leaves

Snow Dog, Go Dog by Deborah Heiligman

Tinka is back for the third installment.  In true Tinka fashion, he is on the move and this time that means snow fun!  However this time Tinka takes off and can not his way back.  Will Tinka learn his lesson this time?  

Text:  4 Buckeye leaves

Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves (Love the illustrations!  Tinka is adorable!!) 

My Snake Blake

A boy is very excited (his mother not so much) when his father brings him a special snake for an early birthday gift.  This is a very special snake because he can spell!  Ask him his name, he tells you, "Blake" by moving his body into the shape.  The boy's mom is not as taken with the family pet.  Of course Blake just spells (tells) her to, "Relax."  Eventually even mom has to admit that as far as snakes goes, Blake is pretty good since he has never bitten anyone, can cook, does dishes, and catches flies.


Text:  4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  4 Buckeye leaves

Sophie's FIsh by A. E. Cannon

Have you ever babysat a fish?  If you did, would you know what kind of snack to feed the fish?  What kind of stories do fish like to hear?  What kind of games do you play with a fish?  Jake has agreed to watch Sophie's fish, and is very excited until these questions cross his mind.  He can't possibly be prepared for watching Yo-Yo.  But Yo-Yo is just a fish.....isn't he?  I loved this book.  The illustrations and the text go together perfectly.  You can feel Jake's anxiety about the fish sitting and it builds and builds both in words and his expression.   And the ending...well......you have to see it... :)

Text:  5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations:  5 Buckeye leaves

Prudence Wants A Pet by Cathleen Daly

Prudence wants a pet. She tries to convince her parents, but they do not see it her way. As a result Prudence has a pet stick then twig then shoe then her brother then a tire, etc. When she finally gets her parents to allow her to have sea buddies she is very excited only to be disappointed. Hilarious take on pet-seeking kiddos!!

Text: 4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves

Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet by Kelly DiPucchio

Gilbert wants a pet. Gilbert is a goldfish! One day a dog shows up and Gilbert is ecstatic. But his enthusiasm quickly learns he does NOT want a dog with its barking, barking, and MORE barking!l Next a small gray mouse appears which Gilbert is very excited because it is quiet. Pets continue to show up and with each pet, Gilbert finds a reason that each will not work as his pet. Gilbert has pretty much given up on the idea of having a pet when a new appears with a long tail and whiskers. Will this pet be the one for Gilbert? I love this book. The illustrations and text match perfectly to create a happy and fun book! I plan to ad this to me our pet unit this fall!


Text: 5 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 4 Buckeye leaves

Cute video trailer on Amazon!

Dogfish by Gillian Shields

Adam received this from a friend a few weeks ago......it is hilarious!! "Everyone has a dog...except ME!" As the young boy tries to explain to his mother he NEEDS a dog...his mom uses some of her best lines, like: "Well, if you can't have what you want, you could try to want what you have." The young boy then decides to teach his fish how to be....a DOG! He teaches him to catch a tiny stick, take him for a walk, etc. I plan to use this book with my kindergartners/ 1st graders in our "pet" unit. I know my kids will love the ridiculousness of the boy treating his FISH like a dog!

Text: 4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves - totally fits the book! So cute!!
endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves....looks like fish gills....love it!

Bear With Me by Max Kornell

Owen's life is perfect.....until one day.... One day Owen's parents arrive home with a surprise - a surprise named Gary! Gary is a bear! Gary turns Owen's perfect life upside down! He takes Owen's stuff, takes over his room - and he snores, and most of all, takes mom and dad's time away from him. In the end, Owen learns an important lesson about accepting change. Readers will quickly make the connection to a new baby in the family. The book lends itself to a great discussion about change.

Text:4 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 3 Buckeye leaves
Endpages: 5 Buckeye leaves - drawings of characters, by characters

My Dog Lyle by Jennifer P. Goldfinger

My Dog Lyle by Jennifer P Goldfinger is not a new book but was one I found in our library that I really liked. I have been sharing it this week with kindergarteners and 1st graders and they seem to enjoy it as well. Lyle is based on the author's own dog, Lyle, and some of the things she mentions in the story, actually happened to her dog, including they BOTH were sprayed by a skunk. Lyle is a "snuggly, smart, howling, burping, slurping, stinky-pink..." dog. What I loved about this book was the great words that she uses...and that she builds on the words to describe Lyle. What the kids liked was that Lyle sometimes wears a tutu around his neck, drinks from the toilet, and runs into glass doors, and the pictures to go with these events are even more funny! Fun read aloud!

Story: 5 Buckeye leaves
Illustrations: 5 Buckeye leaves

A Pet for Miss Wright by Judy Young

Miss Wright is an author. Being an author can be VERY lonely, so Mrs. Wright decides to buy a pet. First she tries a mynah but instead of talking to her, the bird imitated the keyboard clicking. She takes the bird back and brings home a monkey, which did not work out any better for her. She continues through a long list of animals trying to find the perfect animal for herself. She finally finds a pet that is perfect, both as a friend and as an editor.

Story: 4 Buckeye Leaves
Illustrations: 4 Buckeye leaves (Very detailed with beautiful color choice - nice endpages!)