A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet
by Ali Rutstein, illustrated by Tommy Doyle
Interest age: 4 to 5
Published by Albert Street Books, 2025
About this book
The little girl who has composed this useful guide to choosing a pet has a rather unusual viewpoint. Dangerous animals like tigers, anacondas and polar bears are in, and the usual suspects of rabbits, kittens and puppies are definitely out.
Tigers, according to our esteemed Guide, are cuddly, enthusiastic and fun-loving, while puppies make terrible pets because they follow you everywhere; kittens, with their razor-sharp teeth and claws are definitely not to be trusted, and woe betide the family that decide to adopt a budgie, whose dark thoughts are transmitted through their evil eyes of doom.
Rhinos, on the other hand, have a wonderful earthy aroma, with a handy horn to hang your coat on. These things are all a matter of perspective, after all.
But, is the little girl’s choice of pet absolutely the wisest?
This fabulously funny picture book turns the idea of the perfect pet on its head and is brilliantly entertaining, with expressive and hilarious illustration from Tommy Doyle really bringing the hilarious ideas alive.
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