A Boy And His Dog: This Day by Juliana O'Neill

A little-golden and-white Corgi wakes his boy, snoozing deeply in his warm bed.

TIME TO PLAY!

And play they do!

First they take a dip in the pool, the boy with his snorkle and mask, the dog in in his doggie life jacket, as the sun sparkles on the water. Then they climb out and seek the warmth of the tent, creeping into the sleeping bags inside, and then move to the soft, warm grass to to sprawl on their backs to soak up some rays in the sunshine.

And when they are warm and dry, it's time for a good walk together, a friendly talk, and reading a dog story with their friends.

And soon it's time for to curl up together as Mom spreads the coverlet over both of them after the best sort of day ...

...

A DAY OF PLAY.

There are only 23 choice sight words in Juliana O'Neill's early reader about a companionable day with a boy and his dog, This Day (Reading Stars), (Xist, 2022). Beautifully muted soft pastel illustrations by artist Ding LinHui, provide the visual cues in his illustrations which help early readers "read" the 23 sight words in this soothing early reader. What a way to spend a day!

Best Buddies: Dogs Love Cars by Leda Schubert

WINDOWS DOWN, NOSES OUT, EARS FLAPPING, DROOL ON THE WINDOWS....

Most dogs are mad about cars.

Don't get me wrong. Cats are great pets. But most cats are not fond of car rides. Having wind in their fur and faces does not particularly appeal to them. (They don't drool much, however.) But if you love a pet who likes to go places and do things outside in brand new places, dogs are ecstatic! (Most cats could not care less, (unless it's their idea!)

BUT DOGS LOVE CARS!

Dogs love to go for walks with their owner on the other end of the leash. They like to meet strange dogs and exchange sniffs. Dogs like pretty much everything about going places and doing things outdoors. Or indoors will do as if that's what you've got.

DOGS LOVE TOYS.

Floppy, bouncy, rolling, chewey, new, or old, dirty and disgusting, chewed up, broken, dogs adore 'em.

DOGS LOVE CHORES.

Dogs love washing cars, and they love digging dirt for any purpose known to man. (Cats, on the other hand, only dig for one purpose, one that most owners do not care to share!)

Dogs love to eat almost any kind of food, and some things that their owners don't even consider to be food.

But the best thing about dogs is that. . .

DOGS LOVE PEOPLE!

Dogs try to love cats, but that doesn't always work out so well! But in fact, the best thing about dogs is that they love their owners. And they usually want to love everything their owners love, even if that's a cat, in Leda Schubert's joyful, just published picture book in praise of all things canine, Dogs Love Cars (Candlewick Press, 2021).

With the funny child-centered illustrations of dogs being dogs, doing their thing, including loving their owners, by Paul Meisel, this is a book that almost anyone will love.

Says Booklist, "Energetic and appealing... a doggy delight!"

On Second Thought.... We Want A Dog by Lo Cole

WE WANT A DOG!

But there are SO many kinds of dogs! It's hard to choose. Lazy? Crazy? Long? Strong? Tall? Small? Frumpy? Jumpy? Choices, Choices!

ONE THAT BARKS? ONE THAT FARTS?

Ummm.....

ONE THAT DROOLS? ONE THAT BREAKS THE RULES?

Er, well, uh...

ONE WITH FLEAS? ONE THAT PEES ON CHRISTMAS TREES?

On second thought--NONE OF THAT! Maybe what we want is. . .

A CAT!

British rhymster Lo Cole's latest, We Want a Dog: (Dog Books, Rescue Pets, Gifts for Dog Lovers) (Sourcebook/Jabberwocky, 2021), lets his penchant for internal rhymes romp, as he describes some of the er, less pleasing behaviors of man's best friend running loose in this witty look at sniffy, whiffy, shedding and shredding canine characters. Cole's irresistible red and black illustrations of pooches, shown spot-art style, and his nifty, nimble language make this short book a joy for young readers to take out for a run. Says Kirkus' starred review, "Lively, rhyming text is perfectly paired with expressive, energetic artwork."

Both Sides Now: Yes & No by Elisha Cooper

GOOD MORNING! GOOD MORNING!

MY DEARS, ARE YOU AWAKE?

A new owner has two new pets--a dog and a cat--hoping that they will be good company for each other.... But little does she know that dogs and cats don't exactly have compatible.. er,.... world views.

Their answers? "YES!" AND "NO."

The pup bounces up, full of vim and vigor for the new day! The cat lolls, eyes still closed, on their rug.

The little doggie can't wait to begin. The cat says "HMPFF!" So the puppy grabs the rug in mouth and drags it out from under the cat. Now she's up!

The pup is SO up for his breakfast kibble. The cat eschews her cat crunchies and stalks away, nose in the air.

It a work day for the new pet owner, who has hopes the dog and cat will amuse each other. The cat flees to a table, imperiling a lamp, and then to the mantel, bringing down some books, and dashes for the sanctuary of the bathtub. The owner decides that perhaps it's a perfect day for playing outside.

"YES!" "YES!" "YES!" SAYS THE POOCH.

He rips and romps and chases his tail, while the cat walks the fence, finally leaping to a tree branch, above it all.

The dog gnaws a gardening boot, pulls the laundry down off the clothesline, and chases a bunny into its hole, where he begins a grand excavation in the lawn, while the cat naps well above the fray on his trusty branch.

"ENOUGH!" SHOUTS THE DISGRUNTLED OWNER"

BOTH OF YOU! GO!

Sadly the exiles climb to the top of the hill behind their house. The two outcasts sit together as the sun drops lower in the sky. At least they have each other.

Finally the owner calls them in, offering cat chow and doggie dinner.

WELL, OKAY....

"DID YOU HAVE A GOOD DAY?" SHE ASKS.

"YES AND NO. THE DAY WAS GOOD,"

"BUT NOW IT'S DONE." THINKS THE POOCH.

But there's always tomorrow, in Elisha Cooper's little menage a trois, Yes And No (Roaring Brook Press, 2021). And in the Caldecott-Award-winning author-illustrator's latest, where, as the owner wishes them good night, the dog begins to snooze immediately, while the cat--who marches to a different drummer--whispers "NO!" as he slips out the window into the night.

As Publisher's Weekly puts it in their starred review, "Sweetly comic . . . this sustained conversation offers giggles, reassurance, and warmth. Readers may even recognize themselves in a certain hound’s bedtime reluctance to say goodbye to the day’s pleasures.”

Pet's Choice! All Pets Allowed (Blackberry Farm 2) by Adele Griffin

The date is October 10, 10/10! Twins Becket Branch and her brother Nicholas Branch are about to celebrate their birthday, the big Ten-O, their first birthday at Blackberry Farm.

"THAT'S SOME UNBEATABLE, UNREPEATABLE BIRTHDAY LUCK AND WE'VE JUST GOT TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT!" SAYS THE EBULLIENT BECKET.

While his sister Becket plans another spectacular birthday bash, Nicholas, the introvert, would prefer a Mellow 'Cello playlist and definitely no ball games or sparklers in the cake this year, thank you! But although he seems to be anticipating all the ways parties can go wrong, especially with guest Travis and his SuperSquid Squirty on the guest list, he kindly goes along with his twin's plan to invite the whole class.

But the other good news about this birthday is that their parents have told them that they can adopt a new pet from the Rescue Center. Becket wants a lively dog, but Nicholas favors a nice quiet cat. But Mom and Dad have a solution: They can pick one of each!

Outside the pet shelter, Becket runs in happy circles, panting and chanting...

"DOG! DOG! DOG!"

Nicholas whispers quietly to no one in particular...

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. A CAT! FOR ME!"

The twins go home with their new pets in their new carriers, Becket seeing herself romping with the dog she names Dibs, while Nicholas is dreaming of quiet evenings with Given the cat calmly curled up and snoozing to the soft sounds of Mellow Cello playing in his room.

SURPRISE!

Things are not always what they seem. Fate has determined that Dibs the dog is a Fraidy Cat, who can't let Becket out of his sight without howling: he quivers when he hears Dad's big voice, and hides his head when Becket's friend tries to take a snapshot of her new pet. Meanwhile, Nicholas discovers that Given is a photogenic and extroverted feline, posing happily for Becket's friend who uses the pictures as advertisements for the school carnival. When Becket searches for her twin, she finds him secretly hiding with a pillow and book in the bathtub with Dibs quietly sleeping beside him.

NICHOLAS SIGHS. "THERE'S TOO MUCH FUSS AROUND GIVEN. TRAVIS HAD EVEN SAID, 'MY CAT IS TOO COOL FOR ME!'"

"HE'S RIGHT. I THINK GIVEN IS BRAVE AND FUN. THE TROUBLE IS, I THOUGHT MY VERY OWN CAT WOULD BELONG TO ME. BUT GIVEN THRIVES ON BEING WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE."

"WELL," BECKET ADMITTED, "DIBS DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH ANYONE. HE'S SHY AND HARD TO TRAIN, TOO!"

The mismatch is obvious. The twins are afraid that they have made the wrong pet choices. But when both of the pets disappear, the twins discover them safely watching over each other and realize that perhaps between them and their two pets, together they have a perfect match after all, in Adele Griffin's latest Blackberry Farm story, All Pets Allowed: Blackberry Farm 2, illustrated lovingly by Caldecott artist LeUyen Pham, (Workman/Algonquin Books, 2021). In this second book in their series, one that celebrates what Beverly Cleary's Ramona Quimby called "a good, sticking-together family," middle readers see differences resolve into an advantage for all. As the Branch family says, "Many Branches, one tree!"

Adele Griffen and LeUyen Pham's first collaboration in this series is The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story.

It's A Dog's Life! If I Were A Dog by Joanna Cotler

IF I WERE A DOG, I'D BE SILLY, JUST LIKE ME.

This young dog lover dreams of a compatible dog. He could be a Dachshund, a terrier, a bulldog, or even a Doberman, but he needs to be nosy but a little shy, big or small, fond of fetching--fast or a slowpoke, playful or grumpy, or even a little bit of trouble. But there's one thing that is most important.

IF I WERE A DOG, I'D BE LOVED... JUST LIKE ME!

The main character in veteran children's author Joanna Cotler's latest, If I Were a Dog (Philomel Books, 2021), is dreaming of a first dog, what he or she would do, which is important when becoming a dog owner, and Cotler shows doggie behavior in many of its possibilities. Illustrated by the author, adorable pups of different breeds are depicted, doing what dogs do, cuddling or being grumpy, bouncy or sleepy, but always needing and giving ... love! Says School Library Journal, "An intuitive, joyful book that gives children agency to imagine their own doggy selves, but also creates a foundation for discussions on differences and similarities."

What's in a Word? I Love You, Fred by Mick and Chloe Inkpen

Fred is a different dog these days.

He's been schooled and is now a doggy academy graduate. Fred wasn't the star pupil, but he wasn't the worst in his class either.

He knows all those important words his young master uses:

I "SIT." I "STAY"
I DON'T RUN AWAY.

"WALK" AND "BARK" AND "BED."
BUT WHAT IS..."FRED?"

His people say that word a lot. Fred wants to earn a "Good Boy!" but... he can't figure out how to "FRED!"

Fred puzzles. He watches other dogs in the park, but they never seem to FRED!

And then one day at the park Fred sees another dog just like him looking up at him from the pond. And he has Fred's ball!

Fred jumps into the pond!

PADDLE! STRUGGLE! KICK! SPLUTTER!

Suddenly his boy is shouting FRED!

"OH, FRED! FRED! FRED! FRED!"

And as Fred is pulled out of the water he suddenly gets it. He is Fred.

"I HAVE BEEN FREDDING ALL THE TIME."

Now Fred knows who he is and that he is loved, in Mick and Chloe Inkpen's I Love You, Fred (Aladdin Books, 2019), a funny story of a boy and his goofy but well-meaning pug who are learning to speak the same language--love--illustrated with charm and love by the author's daughter, Chloe Inkpen. Share this one with Inkpen's first book about Fred in his pre-obedience school days, I Will Love You Anyway and his hit stories of a pampered pooch, Naughty Mabel (read review here).

Maybe A Rainbow: Henry and Bea by Jessixa Bagley

Henry and Bea were the best of friends.

It was as if they could tell what the other was thinking without saying a word.

But one day Henry has nothing to say, except that he wants to be alone.

It's hard for a friend to know what to do when a good friend suddenly withdraws.

So when their teacher announces a field trip to a local farm, Bea hopes that the outing will help Henry feel better. But he's distant on the bus, and as the farmer takes the kids on a tour of farm animals and equipment, Henry withdraws and goes off on his own.

Seeing him go alone into the barn, Bea follows and finds Henry sitting in the loft on a bale of hay. Silently he shows her a worn cat collar, broken and dirty.

"Buddy died last week," said Henry.

"It's hard to lose a friend," said Bea.

A friend in need is a friend indeed, and Bea's understanding helps her friend deal with his loss, in Jessixa Bagley's Henry and Bea (Neal Porter/Holiday House, 2019). Bagley's gentle narration and soft, evocative spot art and full-page illustrations show readers how sharing sadness can help a friend get though it. Sometimes it is easier to show what to do than to say it. "Bagley's artwork creates an emotionally resonant experience," says Kirkus Reviews, and Horn Book adds, "A welcome addition to the shelf of books about grief."

If Wishes Were Puppies.... Puppy Truck by Brian Pinkney

CARTER WANTED A PUPPY....

"If wishes were horses, beggars would ride...." goes the old proverb.

But Carter's wish doesn't get him his snuggly puppy.

HE GOT A TRUCK.

It's a nice truck, and Carter decides to make the best of his gift--in his own way. He clips a leash just behind the truck's cab and walks the truck to the park.

But that's not all. When a gray squirrel frisks across the walkway, the truck gives chase.

Vroom beep bark!

And as an intrigued girl watches in amazement from a park bench, Carter tries to rein in his puppy truck pet. But it shakes off the leash and disappears out of sight.

But the watching girl points out where it's hiding in the bushes, and Carter grabs his puppy truck, and just as he is about to pull it into his lap, his truck does a wheelie and zooms away, but not before Carter climbs on the truck and goes along on the ride. It's Squirrel 1, Puppy Truck 0.

Back home Carter and pet chomp some supper, splish splash in the bath, and catch some Zzzzzzs in Carter's bed.

And when Carter and his puppy truck go back to the park the next day, he discovers the girl, already digging in the sand box, and now she too has a pet--a pussy cat power shovel with a vroom, a bark, and a MEOW.

Magic or imagination, the Caldecott-winning Brian Pinkney's latest picture book, Puppy Truck (Atheneum Books, 2019) makes a standout read-aloud and a book preschoolers will love to "read" to themselves, complete with sound effects. Pinkney's striking, flowing illustrative style, composed of bold black lines and dabs of primary colors, adds to the exuberance of this story of wish-fulfillment fantasy.

Tiny Turtle Trek! Truman by Jean Ready

Truman was the size of a donut,
a small donut--and every bit as sweet.

Truman is a tiny turtle who lives with Sarah in a tiny tank on the windowsill, overlooking a city street of loud taxis and trash trucks--where sometimes he sees the number 11 bus traveling south.

Truman is a very quiet pet, one who happy to watch Sarah color and play. But one morning is different.

Sarah hops out of bed, eats a very large banana, gets dressed in new clothes, and puts on a terribly big backpack.

Sarah placed seven green beans in Truman's dish
--two more than usual.

Something is up! And as Truman watches from his tank by the window, he sees Sarah go away on the number 11 bus with her mom.

Truman waits, bereft. At last he decides he must find Sarah, even if he has to take the number 11 bus, too!

Truman struggles to clamber up the rocks in his tank and drops down onto the floor to start his trek toward the door. It takes a very long time time in turtle hours. But at last Truman stands before the door, summoning all his courage to board the bus on the busy street. But after all, Truman is a valiant turtle.

Suddenly Truman hears the number 11 bus, and then, of course, Sarah returns from school, amazed to find her tiny but intrepid little turtle at the door, in Jean Ready's most delightsome pet story, Truman (Atheneum Books, 2019).

Author Jean Ready tells her tale of love and loyalty in charmingly precise but picturesque language and perhaps signals a sequel on the final pages with a hint that Truman may get to ride the number 11 bus after all--on Show and Tell Day. Artist Lucy Ruth Commins' blackline drawings use simple lines, with soft hues in single and double-page spreads that tell this "peaceful and pensive" story with perfect pacing and just the right touch of pathos. This picture book is just about perfect! In fact, Booklist's reviewer gives in and uses that one word that best describes Sarah's loyal and plucky little turtle: "Cummins has rendered in Truman a character so indisputably adorable that, coupled with Reidy's soulful characterization, readers of all ages will be falling in love."

Pet Mania! The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems

Pigeon has a mind of his own!

"Do you know what I want?

A PUPPY!"

And when Pigeon makes up his mind, he is immovable! He. Is. Adamant! He. Is. Demanding. But he makes his case with aplomb.

"Don't worry! I'll take care of it.

I promise I'll water it once a month.

Pigeon wants his puppy and he wants it now! A tantrum is brewing...

A little reality therapy is clearly called for. He needs to, er. actually see a puppy. And when he does...

AAAAAAAARRRGHH!! Puppies are GI-NORMOUS! And they have ginormously huge...

TEETH!

Pigeon suddenly has a change of mind, in the new edition of Mo Willem's best-selling The Pigeon Wants a Puppy (Hyperion, 2018 (rev. ed.). Pigeon rethinks the issue, and now he thinks he will settle for--a walrus! Willem's new revised board book version of his beginning readers's book has plenty of punch in this delightful tale of pet lust, with Willem's signature black-line illustrations and perfectly paced pages that kids won't want to resist turning. They'll want the book--if not the walrus! Says School Library Journal's starred review,"The incorrigible bird returns for his fourth full-length romp!"

Can We Keep Him?: The Sloth Who Slowed Us Down by Margaret Wild

Amy's family was the speediest in the world. They walked fast, drove fast, shopped fast, ate fast.

There was never any time to talk, play, laugh, or laze.

It's life in the fast lane for Amy and her family until she finds a sloth hanging in a tree in the park and brings him home with the usual plea. Mom shudders while she watches her daughter pick bugs from his fur and orders up a bath for Sloth post haste.

It's a long, slow bath because...

... that's the way sloths do everything.

Mom and Dad are waiting impatiently at the dinner table.

"Chop Chop!" frets Mom.

But of course Sloth eats very, very slowly, savoring each bite and chewing carefully. While her parents cool their fidgety feet waiting, Amy tells them everything about her day, even the first prize trophy she won (naturally) in a race. Her parents are pleasantly surprised to hear it all.

Then Dad announces that there is just enough time for a fast jog around the block. But with Sloth along, nothing is done fast. The run turns into a slow stroll in which Amy and her parents have time to visit with the neighbors and their cat, toss a stick for a dog to fetch, and gaze as the moon and watch for Mars to rise in the sky. Back home, Amy gives Sloth a bedtime hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "This has been the best day of my life!"

Sloth stayed for three glorious weeks.

His stay has been short, but his work here is done, and it is time for Sloth to move in with the new next door neighbors who are the latest fastest family in the world, in Margaret Wild's just published The Sloth Who Slowed Us Down (Abrams Books, 2018), in a theme that urges families to take time to enjoy life and each other. Artist Vivienne To's little Sloth is charming, with a sweet face and an an adorable curl of moss growing on his head, conspiring to slow down Amy's fast family, and her illustrations feature funny sight gags such as Mom reading a Slow Cooking book and Amy perusing 1001 Varieties of Moss, as all of the family enjoying a swim and a singalong in the park. Says School Library Journal, "Large, humorous illustrations and a timely message in these days of hectic activity make this a natural storytime choice."

And if you're in the slow mood for more sloth stories, there's Samantha Berger's Snoozefest and Frann Preston-Gannon's Sloth Slept On. or Eric Carle's "Slowly, Slowly, Slowly," said the Sloth (see more reviews here.)

Pet Ban! No Frogs in School by A. LaFaye

Bartholomew Botts loved pets.

Bart's room at home is a messy menagerie melee! He has dogs, several species of poultry, a caged canary, a tortoise in his drawer, a cat curled up in a fishbowl, and a fish in an aquarium. He's even got barnyard denizens, two goats, a pig, chicks, and a bunny, and a green snake lives in his bedside table.

So it's no surprise that when he starts to school, he takes a pet along to his classroom.

Bartholomew plopped Ferdinand the frog in his cool pink lunchbox.

But that day, while their teacher is showing his class how to mix secondary colors in art, Ferdinand hops into Lacey's paints and lands with a splat on Mr. Patanoose's head. Face-painting is not in his lesson plan--and Mr. Patanoose proclaims a new school rule.

"No frogs in school!" he declares.

Still, Bartholomew has other pets to take to school with him that are NOT frogs. But on Tuesday Sigfried the salamander goes woo-woo on the teacher's shoe, and he rules out all amphibians at school. On Wednesday Bartholomew brings Horace the hamster, definitely a mammal, along, but his speedy scurrying turns Mr. Patanoose's class into mess of squealing, chasing kids. Rodents are banned for Bart, but he still has Sylvia the snake to take along on Thursday, and when she slithers up toward the ceiling, the group goes wild!

Mr. Patanoose doesn't look happy.

"No more of YOUR pets!" he declares.

Not since Mary brought her little lamb to school has a classroom had so much fun with pets, and the literal-minded Bartholomew finds a way to liven up show-and-tell day with a pet for the whole classroom, in A. LaFaye's No Frogs in School (Sterling Books, 2018). It's a fun first week of school, with the author deftly working in a bit of biological vocabulary, while artist Eglantine Coulemans' illustrations visually extend the text and outdo the cuteness quotient in her comic line drawings of the lanky Mr. Patanoose, his vivacious and varied preschoolers, and charming critters mixing it up. Kirkus Reviews adds, "Each page lends itself to an energetic seek-and-find storytime that promises new discoveries upon multiple reads."

The Mutton Maker! Mary Had A Little Lab by Sue Fliess

MARY HAD A LITTLE LAB.
SHE TESTED AND CREATED.
WHILE OTHER KIDS WERE AT THE PARK,
SHE BUILT AND CALCULATED.

Mary loves her little lab, but she sometimes gets lonely there.

Perhaps having a pet would help. But Mary doesn't go to the pet store. She's a scientist!

She sneaks a snip of a sheep's fleece, and slips back to her lab to analyze the DNA and clone herself a lamb. She creates the perfect sheep-making machine, which she christens "The Sheepinator," and her first run produces a lovely little lamb who snuggles and cuddles and follows her everywhere. And, of course, it had to happen; Mary didn't say nay, so....

SHE FOLLOWED HER TO SCHOOL ONE DAY.

The lamb is a big hit at school. Mary finds herself the most popular kid in the class, and all her new friends clamber for a lamb of their own. Proudly, Mary leads them to demonstrate just what her science can create:

SHE LED THEM TO HER LITTLE LAB.
"BEHOLD THE SHEEPINATOR!
I SIMPLY PRESS THIS BUTTON HERE...
THE WOOLLY DUPLICATOR!"

The children are delighted as their sheep roll forth from the Sheepinator, but then there's a malfunction in Mary's mutton maker! The Sheepinator won't quit! In fact, it creates quite a glut of sheep! What shall Mary and her schoolmates do with all these shaggy pets with their fleecy pelts?

There are plenty of warm woolen sweaters in everyone's future, in Sue Fliess's funny fractured nursery rhyme, Mary Had a Little Lab (Albert Whitman, 2018). Author Fliess perfectly captures the cadence of the original rhyme scheme of "Mary Had A Little Lamb," and also borrows the age-old device of The Sorcerer's Apprentice in which the duplications just won't quit coming, while slyly putting in a plug for girls in science. Fliess's parody also succeeds with`the help of artist Petros Bouloubasis's soft and comical illustrations. "A rhyming picture book that would make even Dr. Seuss jealous...," says Shelf Awareness for Readers' reviewer.

Trust Me! You Don't Want a Unicorn! by Ame Dyckman

It's a wishing fountain in the park! A chubby boy in an I LOVE UNICORNS tee-shirt and a silver coin in hand is thinking about what wish to make... when....

"WAIT!

You were going to wish for a unicorn, weren't you?

Wishing for a unicorn is a BIG mistake!

But.... unicorns are sweet! What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty! The former unicorn owner offers to tell all.

Where to begin?

Well, they shed--worse than a pampered Pekinese in a tropical storm! And those rarified pointed horns? Well, unicorns have a yen to keep them sharp by punching holes in the walls and ripping up the furniture!

And as for house training? Forget it! You may at first be pleased to find piles of pink cupcakes in the corners--that is, until you find out what they REALLY are. Yep! You're right. You'll need a shovel.

Oh, and one warning! Unicorns are not solitary pets. They prefer to PARTY HEARTY with their peers. And what happens when they do?

You have unleashed the most destructive force in the universe!

And that's just the beginning of the mythical mayhem in Ame Dyckman's latest, You Don't Want a Unicorn! (Little, Brown and Company, 2017). Yep, it's another of those "Be careful what you wish for" cautionary tales, told in the wry and weary tone of a kid who's been there and done that. Artist Liz Climo's skilled comic hand is evident in her illustrations of the downside of owning a magical creature, with a touch of hyperbole, plenty of sight gags, and pinkish POOFS which leave a trail of dreadful disaster behind. And although unicorns make imperfect pets, they are not the worst!

There's something else that's MUCH WORSE.....!

"STOP! You don't want want one of THOSE! Trust me...."

POOF!

What POOFS up next? Spoiler alert! What's worse may be the subject of Ame Dyckman and Liz Climo's next anti--mythical pet tale. Other curious critter books by this talented two include Dyckman's Wolfie the Bunny or Liz Climo's Rory the Dinosaur Wants a Pet.

Procuring the Perfect Pet? How Do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets? by Jane Yolen

How does a dinosaur choose a pet?

Does he head to the zoo
and take home a big cat?

And what does his mom
have to say about that?

Picking a pet takes some pondering. You can't just go stalking around in the jungle with a net, or raiding the tiger enclosure for a pet you'll never forget. There is a lot to consider in getting a critter--size, temperament, and need for containment. And how about diet?

Does she carry off tortoises, zebras, a mink?
Give them hay,
and a cola to drink?

How many wrong ways are there to pick a pet? Jane Yolen's and Mark Teague's latest book in their long-running How Do Dinosaurs series, How Do Dinosaurs Choose Their Pets? (Blue Sky/Scholastic Press, 2017), with tongue-well-in-cheek, takes a peek at some definitely esoteric dinosaurs--Coahuiaceratops, Rhinorex, Diamantinasaurus, and the way-cool Dianzhousaurus--doing it all wrong, from snatching a shark to keep in a pail to draggin' a wagonload of elephant home. I ask you, would a good dinosaur do that?

No, a dinosaur doesn't!

She knows what to do.
She would never bring anything
home from the zoo.

Dinosaurs know that getting a perfect pet doesn't begin with a raid or a snatch.

They know there are better ways to to make a good match.

Yolen and Teague recommend reliable pet stores, animal rescue centers, farms, or friends to find a pet that can be loved and taught good manners, all good advice for prospective pet owners. Jane Yolen puts her popular poetic skills to work in her catchy rhythms and rhyming lines, and with Mark Teague's big, bold, page-dominating paintings of dinosaurs exhibiting improbable and perhaps disastrous pet choices, pet-seeking kids will chuckle at the preposterous possibilities, while the comic but detailed illustrations of exotic ancient reptiles will delight the dino-loving reader.

As is their custom, the names of the featured dinosaur on each double-page spread is hand-labeled near each big beast--except for one, which will send close-reading, savvy dinosaur devotees to Yolen's and Teague's trademark end papers for thumbnail drawings and the names for each one, including the covert creature in question. This book is definitely a first purchase for children's collections on many levels, pleasing preschoolers who dote on dinosaurs, young independent readers who can handle Yolen's easy-going text with its visual and sound-alike clues, older primary readers who love the irony of prodigious dinos procuring odd pets, and scholarly fans who can add some newly discovered species to their vocabularies.

BEWARE OF THE HAMSTER! Ferocious Fluffity by Erica Perl

Mr. Drake's class has a new pet.She's tiny and cute; she looks so sweet! They love her fluff and her neat little feet. But Mr. Drake has an important pet point to make.

"Look, don't touch!
She's too little. It's too much!

Though the children nodded YES,
Did they mean it? Take a guess.

The kids in Room 2-D all secretly plan to get their hands on Fluffity at the first opportunity.

And then fate steps in. Mr. Drake sleeps late. The unsupervised class shouts HOORAY! Today is the day for Fluffity's first hands-on experience!

No one's sure who held her first.
Things got bad. Then things got worse.

She was tiny, she was cute.
She was also quite a brute!

Bert is the first to be bit, but when he yells, (Yee-OUCH!), another student catches Fluffity and gets chomped. The hamster goes from hand to hand, with the same results, from Zonder and Zuna to both Kevin K and Kevin B. Fluffity takes it on the lam down the hall, with Nathan getting the worst of the capture effort.

She bit "Dathan" on his "dose."

She bit Perrie, Pam and Paul.
She bit them, bit them, bit them all.

As the kids from Room 2-D take refuge in the library from their mighty-bitey mite, Mr. Drake rushes in, just in time to get bit on the ankle. It's not exactly the sharing and shared experience he had in mind for their first classroom pet.

All's well at last, as Mr. D. calms Room 2-D and restores Fluffity to her hamster habitat, explaining that hamsters have to be handled tactically until they settle in and suggests letting their pet release some of her nervous energy on her exercise wheel before approaching her again. And then he surprises the class with their second classroom pet--Jake the Snake. The kids are thrilled, but Fluffity finds that she is NOT.

Lila Perl's Ferocious Fluffity: A Mighty Bite-y Class Pet (Abrams Books, 2016) features her funny couplets in this witty tale of their tiny terror, with notable children's artist Henry Cole taking over the visual storytelling with his usual hilarious illustrations, from the fearful Fluffity to the well-individualized kids in the class and the mega-cool Mr. Drake. Cole even manages to put in a plug for books and reading in the bulletin boards posted in the classroom, hall, and particularly the apropos BOOKS YOU CAN SINK YOUR TEETH INTO! in the library. A perfect cautionary tale for kids (and teachers) contemplating a new class pet!

Lila Perl and Henry Cole are the co-creators of the noted giggle-fest pair, Chicken Butt and Chicken Butt's Back! (See reviews here.)

A Horse of Another Color: A Unicorn Named Sparkle by Amy Young

Lucy couldn't believe the ad in the newspaper!

UNICORN: 25 Cents

What a deal! She sends off her order with her quarter posthaste!

SHE COULD HARDLY WAIT!

"I'LL NAME HIM SPARKLE!

HE'LL BE BLUE, WITH A PINK TAIL AND PINK MANE!"

Lucy is lost in rapture as she dreams of bedecking her unicorn with flowers, feeding him upon pastel-frosted cupcakes, riding upon his white back under canopies of rainbows. It's a girl's dream.

But when the truck arrives and opens up the back doors, what emerges is not what Lucy was looking for.

Her unicorn is short and squat. His ears are way too big and his horn is not exactly magnificent. He has spots and ... well, fleas. He doesn't smell at all nice. And his voice is anything but mellifluous.

B-A-A-A-A!

Okay. This unicorn might need a bit of a makeover.

Lucy drapes a garland of flowers s around Sparkle's short scrawny neck.

HE ATE IT.

She dressed him in a pink tutu.

HE ATE THAT, TOO!

This is not a good unicorn! Lucy stomps off, but Sparkle follows right behind, nibbling her skirt.

This will not do! Lucy phones the Unicorn Man.

"TAKE HIM BACK!" SHE ORDERED.

The unicorn man promises to re-possess Sparkle tomorrow. Lucy is not happy being stuck with a defective unicorn who follows her everywhere and, (ugghhh!) licks her. She can't wait for the truck to arrive.

But that night there is a dreadful thunderstorm and Sparkle is terrified.

W-A-A-A-A!

Lucy hurries to help, bringing along her Bear-Bear to comfort him. When that doesn't do the trick, she tries warming some milk and reading him her favorite bedtime books. Finally, Sparkle closes his big eyes and Lucy falls asleep against his soft fur. (Presumably Lucy had managed a flea bath during page turns!)

And when the unicorn man's truck pulls up the next morning to haul Sparkle away, he bleats piteously and...

Well, young readers will guess what happens next, in Amy Young's latest charmer, A Unicorn Named Sparkle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016).

As Mick Jagger sang sardonically in the sixties,

"You can't always get what you want.
You can't always get what you want.
But if you try, sometime... you get what you need!"

The perfect pet is the one who loves you, as Lucy learns that even a goat with one weird horn can be just plain loving and lovable, too. Young's pen and watercolor illustrations are comic and charming, with just the right touch of glittery fairy dust about Lucy's unicorn dreams and the right touch of reality as the stubborn girl meets the ornery goat and both emerge as winners.

Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss

I WANT A PET, I WANT A PET.

WHAT PET SHOULD I GET?

Mom says go ahead, but Dad says be done by noon.

It's not much time to make such a truly weighty decision.

At first the brother and sister think inside the box. Dog... or ....cat? But once at the pet store, with talking birds, monkeys, burbling fish, and bunnies, it seems an impossible decision.

I SAW NEW KINDS. THEY WERE GOOD, TOO.
HOW COULD I PICK ONE?
NOW WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
WE COULD ONLY PICK ONE.
THAT IS WHAT MY DAD SAID.
BUT HOW COULD I MAKE UP
THE MIND IN MY HEAD?

They consider the merits of each logically, but then, in true Seussian fashion, their fanciful sides take over and they move on to consider more exotic animalia.

What about a yent? Could he live in a tent?

SOMETHING IT IS TO MAKE UP A MIND!

Mrs. Geisel recently re-discovered a box with odds and ends from her husband's old office she had gathered up after his death. Inside, along with sketches and doodled story ideas, was this story, in a form called a dummy, complete blackline drawings, with typed text cut and pasted in place on each page, for some reason put aside when Theodor Geisel turned to another story of siblings and critters, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. (I Can Read It All by Myself) (Random House, 1960.)

So now we have another classic tale, with Seuss-inspired coloration, Theodor Seuss Geisel's just-published What Pet Should I Get? (Classic Seuss) (Random House, 2015). But also in true Seussian form, the good Dr. cannily doesn't reveal what pet the kids get!

IT IS A TEASE TO LEAVE US STUCK WITH THIS QUESTION.
PLEASE, MIZ SEUSS, DO COME UP WITH THE NEXT ONE!