My Pet Book

April 14, 2014
Staake, whose wordless Bluebird depicted a lonesome outsider, introduces a happier child, albeit one allergic to cats. “I want a pet that’s easy!” the boy declares, so his pleased parents steer him to a bookshop, where he chooses “a frisky red hardcover.” Staake’s bouncy hero resembles a Photoshop version of Crockett Johnson’s Harold as he casually walks his obedient book across a chaotic city bridge, oblivious to the mischief of real dogs and cats. In the only spread to picture him reading, he imagines battling a fairy-tale dragon and a purple octopus, reveling in “tales/ Of awesomeness and glory.” All is well until his book goes missing, and the family maid fears she has given it “to charity” while cleaning house. There are some missteps (like that anachronistic, uniformed maid), and a few stanzas include words and phrases that feel like filler (“Most pets, you know, are cats and dogs/ Go out and take a look./ But there’s a boy in Smartytown/ Whose pet is... a little book”). The appeal of a good book gets lost in the fray, despite much entertaining stage business in Staake’s images. Ages 3–7.

May 15, 2014
In this cheer for books and reading, a boy wants a pet-but one that's easy, lacks fleas and won't run away.His accommodating parents suggest a book, and together, they trek to the Loyal Neighborhood Bookopolis, where a "frisky red hardcover" captivates. Leash-trained, this unique pet "never needed bathing. / And its ears would never droop. / But best of all that little pet... / It didn't even poop!" Everything's swell, until the day the boy returns from school to find that the maid has mistakenly given his pet to charity. The pair race to the thrift store to search for the beloved tome, finding it hiding in a doghouse in the store's pet section. Staake's quatrains scan well, though at times they approach-well, doggerel. The wacky premise is elevated to towering heights via the over-the-top digital illustrations, wherein round-headed people, multihued from persimmon to turquoise, cavort with dogs and cats of every description and temperament. Perspective in interior rooms is dizzying, while cityscapes are a gaudy geometry of tightly packed buildings, bridges, parks and populace. Obligingly, Staake finds room to portray this unusual pet's power to transport its owner through its "tales / Of awesomeness and glory."One of Staake's sillier, more ebullient outings-and that's saying something. (Picture book. 4-8)

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May 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Every child wants a pet, but if one has allergies or limited space, it might be hard to find a pet that fits comfortably into one's lifestyle. "Most pets, you know, are cats and dogs./Go out and take a look./But there's a boy in Smartytown/Whose pet is...a little book." As difficult as it is to choose just one book for a pet, a little red volume with a tight binding stands out as a perfect choice in the bookstore. That is, until the boy returns home one day to find that the maid has mistakenly donated his pet book to a charity. They race to the thrift shop to try to recover it before the shop closes. The book is found, hiding in a safe place. The digital illustrations are wonderful-colorful, exaggerated, and whimsical. Readers will enjoy the silly details, like the depictions of some of the nasty behaviors of "other" pets. This book will tickle readers who have or long for pets. The rhyming scheme is reliable and children will enjoy predicting the last word in a stanza.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Preschool-G What makes a pet a pet? Four legs, fur, fins, feathersor is it simply that a pet is a friend? In that case, the boy in Staake's latest has it all figured out. His frisky red hardcover brings him into its stories and lets him imagine himself as the hero. How nice! In addition, it's very low maintenance. It never ate. It never drank. / It couldn't do a trick. / It never shed. It had no fleas. / It couldn't fetch a stick. That's all dandy until one day his family's over-zealous maid gives the book to charity. A search ensues, and just when all seems lost, a lucky reunion saves the day. Staake is known for his retro-looking illustrations full of bold colors and round-headed characters, and here his cityscapes are simply packed with detail, bringing to mind a much hipper Richard Scarry world. Fun for all, but bookworms who are allergic to traditional animal friends will most especially take a shine to this, begging to make this book their own personal pet.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)