My Pet Wants a Pet

"Once there was a boy who wanted something to take care of. Something of his very own." The corresponding opening illustration shows a boy looking wistfully out his window onto his sunny city street full of dogs and their owners. He eventually persuades his mother and becomes the proud owner of a puppy. Spot art develops this pair's relationship and exhibits the rewards (and humor) that come with responsible pet ownership. Things go so well that the puppy decides that it, too, needs a pet of its own to care for. "And so the puppy got a kitten, a furry orange kitten. Truth be told, the boy was surprised at this choice." And so it goes, the warm and funny cartoon illustrations helping to predict each new arrival. The kitten adopts a bird. The bird adopts a worm. The worm adopts a flea. Finally, with satisfying circularity, the flea adopts the puppy. Everyone finds this delightful cycle of nurture fulfilling except the mother, who grows more resistant with each new addition. ("'What?!' cried the boy's mother. 'That worm is the pet of the pet of the pet of your pet! He does NOT NEED A PET.'") The boy considers what to do about Mom's unhappiness-the illustration shows him in deep concentration on the toilet surrounded by the concerned pets. His heart-tugging solution brings home the book's most valuable point: "Whenever you take care of something, that something takes care of you." julie roach