For Children Who Want Pets and Parents Who Don’t
By PAMELA PAUL
A PET FOR PETUNIA
Written
and illustrated by Paul Schmid
32
pp. Harper/HarperCollins Publishers. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 7)
PRUDENCE WANTS A PET
By
Cathleen Daly
Illustrated
by Stephen Michael King
32
pp. A Neal Porter Book/Roaring Brook Press. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 7)
GILBERT GOLDFISH
WANTS A PET
By
Kelly DiPucchio
Illustrated
by Bob Shea
30
pp. Dial Books for Young Readers. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8)
MELVIN AND THE BOY
Written
and illustrated by Lauren Castillo
40
pp. Henry Holt & Company. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8)
Pet-averse parents (or people who simply believe
feeding and caring for two-legged creatures is enough) dread the moment when
their children make the transition from “Will he bite me?” to “Why can’t we get
a dog?” Eventually, it seems, every child wants a dog, a cat or at the very
least a fish. What to do?
Fortunately, children’s book authors helpfully provide
backup for almost any excuse: Too big! Too hairy! Too loud! And the old, Who
will empty the litter box?
Into the pantheon of “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!” come four new entrants. “A Pet for
Petunia,” by Paul Schmid, matches a charming girl named Petunia with a
thoroughly inappropriate pet: a skunk. The protests of Petunia’s parents (“They
stink”) are borne out as Petunia confronts the reality of her coveted woodland
friend. Rightfully deterred from adopting an actual skunk, Petunia instead
sticks to a stuffed skunk, which suffices until, of course, the last page, when
Petunia decides she wants a porcupine (the star, conveniently, of Schmid’s
next, yet unpublished picture-book tale).
Strikingly similar in terms of its petite format,
precious prénom and largely purple palette is “Prudence Wants a Pet,” written
by Cathleen Daly, author of a middle-grade novel, “Flirt Club.” Sweetly
illustrated by Stephen Michael King (“Leaf”), “Prudence” deftly combines funny
and cute, and has a resourceful heroine too.
She faces some fierce opposition. “Pets cost too much
to keep,” Prudence’s dad says. They make noise, her mom complains. So Prudence
instead adopts various substitutes, including a branch and a shoe. At last the
parents cave, and Prudence gets a new pet cat. Whether this is a happy ending
or a sad one depends on your point of view. Either way the book is clever and
endearing.
If only matters could be as easily resolved as they
are in “Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet,” written by Kelly DiPucchio (“Grace for President”) and
illustrated “Jetsons” cartoon style by Bob Shea (“Dinosaur vs. Bedtime”).
Gilbert, a domesticated goldfish, longs for company. But a dog is too barky, a
mouse too unfriendly and a fly is a threat to his well-being. A surprise ending
neatly solves the problem. Gilbert is rewarded with much-needed water-bound
company, and Gilbert’s owners catch a break.
And you can add an eco-friendly flourish to the
message! In “Melvin and the Boy,” the first book to be both written and
illustrated by Lauren Castillo (who previously illustrated “What Happens on Wednesdays,” among others), a boy’s parents tell
him he can’t get a dog, a monkey or a bird. But when the nameless boy
(substitute your child’s name here) is captivated by a turtle in the park, he’s
allowed to bring a pet home.
Alas, the turtle, which the boy names Melvin, seems
unhappy in his new environs. This awakens an empathetic awareness in the child:
“In the morning, I tell Mom and Dad that Melvin isn’t having much fun at our
house,” he says, and then willingly releases Melvin back into the park, where he
is probably better off, as endpapers describing the lives of turtles make
clear.
Now, what to do with an unwanted pet pig?
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