Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Best Pet Ever
Illustrator: Deborah Allwright
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Tiger Tales, 2010 ISBN: 1589250893
One day a little girl and her mother are walking past a pet shop and the little girl asks her mother, “Mom can I have a pet? Please?” The little girl’s mother gives an answer that is not very satisfactory. Everyone knows that “We’ll see,” basically means NO.
The little girl takes her mother’s words literally, and she looks around and sees. She sees a nice smooth rock, which she picks up. Then the little girl ties a string around the rock, and she names it Fluffy. For a few days, Fluffy is a good pet, until his string breaks and he rolls down a hill.
Next, the little girl decides to make a “soft, woolly glove” her pet. She calls her pet Nibbles, and she tends to her with loving care. For a day or two, Nibbles is a perfect pet, but after a time the glove is so stuffed with ‘food’ that the little girl is once again asking her mother if she can “have a pet? Please?”
One would be hard pressed to find a child who has not badgered a parent or caregiver for a pet. This charming picture book shows readers how one little girl solves her pet-less problem for a while. She uses her imagination so that a rock, a glove, a candy wrapper, and a balloon serve as great pets for a time. What a delightful tribute to the power of the imagination this book is, and what a great reward the little girl gets for her p
