Children Make Terrible Pets

Children Make Terrible Pets

Written and illustrated by Peter Brown

Little, Brown and Company, 2010

40 pages

Picture Book-Fiction

                I chose this book because I had read another book by Peter Brown and loved it. This story is really cute and silly. A bear named Lucy finds a little boy in the woods. She decides to make him her pet. Her mother advises against it when she informs her that children made terrible pets. Lucy didn’t listen, and she kept the little boy as her pet. The little boy is portrayed as a pet and has characteristics of a pet. He messes up the furniture, he isn’t potty trained, and he made messes with food. Then one day, Lucy could not find the little boy. She followed his scent and discovered that this boy had a home. Lucy realized she must let her pet be with his family. The last page of the story tells what kind of pet she finds next.

                Peter Brown drew these pictures in pencil on paper, and he used construction paper and wood. After this process was finished, Brown was able to tweak his drawings digitally to make them exactly what he wanted. The author also handlettered the word balloons. The pictures were my favorite part of the book. The illustrations have a rustic feel and warm colors. All the text and pictures are spaced out neatly, making it appealing visually.

                This book is appropriate for students ranging from preschool to first grade. Children Make Terrible Pets would be a good book for a “brain break,” or it could be incorporated into a lesson for an elementary classroom. This book could be used in a lesson about the difference in realistic fiction and non-realistic fiction. If you wanted to talk to your students about personification, this book would be excellent.