What kid hasn’t brought home a lost kitten, snake or turtle? The poor creature is held aloft to the kid’s momma in those grubby little hands, and the kid then looks up to her and exclaims in the jubilant hopes of mini pet-lovers everywhere, “Pleeee-aaaaaase Mom, can I keep it?”
Author Peter Brown has flipped that nearly universal kid experience on its head and by doing so, has created one of the most endearing picture books to come out of the publishing world in awhile. In this short and sweet telling, a young bear cub brings home a human child in the hopes of keeping him as a pet, with hilarious consequences. The naughty “pet child” doesn’t always want to cooperate with his new owner’s instructions on staying off of the furniture or, worse, becoming house broken.
A book that parents will enjoy as much as their kids do is often hard to come by, and Brown’s new work has created just that. With its cleverly rendered artwork, and perfectly turned phrases, this simple little story could easily be added into any children’s library “absolute essentials” category, and it comfortably stacks up to classics like Sendak’s “Where The Wild Things Are.”
“Children Make Terrible Pets” is a book we are positive our readers will fall in love with and want to share with all of the readers in their lives… and we don’t mean just the kids! We’ve given this book to our adult friends, and so far, it’s been universally loved. It’s definitely a book worth checking out, and at Children’s Bookstore, you know we insist on helping you find the best children’s stories.
Peter Brown, author of Children Make Terrible Pets