Fantasia! If I Had A Gryphon by Vikki Vansickle

LAST WEEK I GOT A HAMSTER,
MY FIRST AND ONLY PET.

HE MOSTLY EATS AND SLEEPS AND HIDES.
AND GETS HIS SHAVINGS WET.

Sam is experiencing a serious case of pet regret.

Sure, hamsters are cute--when they are doing something. Which, it seems, is usually at night when everyone is asleep.

And for the new pet owner, watching a hamster sleep all day is like watching paint dry.

Sam begins to daydream about better pet picks, and she can't help fantasizing about an exotic pet that can do great stuff. Take the unicorn for example. Besides that special horn, they have those fancy flowing manes that she could braid in super cool styles.

UNICORNS ARE PRETTY,
BUT THEY'RE ALSO VERY SHY.

ON SECOND THOUGHT, I'D LIKE TO GIVE
A HIPPOGRIFF A TRY.

On third thought, though, Sam sees that the hippogriff would not play well with others at the dog park!

Sam mulls over the list of mythical beasts for more possibilities. The kraken? (Scuba gear required!) A dragon? (Must keep fire extinguisher handy!) Jackalope? (Nope!) Phoenix? (See Dragon.) Harpies are bad to bite, and kelpies shun the light.

That hibernation-prone hamster is looking better and better in Vikki Vansickle's brand-new If I Had a Gryphon (Tundra Books, 2016). Vansickle's rhyming imaginings are clever, and Cate Atkinson's comic illustrations of possible pet disasters add to the fun in this what-pet-to-get tale that should make all those less-than-scintillating pets feel a bit more secure. This new one pairs well with the latest Dr. Seuss find, What Pet Should I Get? (Classic Seuss).