Fact, fiction, fantasy—all about pets…and we’re giving away more than half a dozen to the commenter who explains best how they are going to use them to promote responsible pet ownership in children’s lives.
The Dog Patrol, by Rob Laidlaw and published by Pajama Press, has collected a pack of positive reviews. School Library Journal’s verdict is “Dog lovers will relish the rich detail and extensive photography in this engaging guide to canine care and advocacy.” Our verdict is this is the perfect choice for young readers who really want to do right by their new dog. A peek at the teacher’s guide from the publisher will give you a good indication of the ways you might want to share this one.
What if the pet in your young reader’s life is feline rather than canine? Also from Pajama Press, Our New Kittens, by Theo Heras with warm, colorful illustrations by Alice Carter, takes a picture book approach to providing “a good way to inform young children of the emotional and behavioral aspects, plus accountability, of what pet ownership entails,” as CM: The Canadian Review of Materials notes in its review. If picture books are your particular interest when it comes to sharing information about caring for a baby pet, you’ll be delighted to find we’re including Pajama Press’ My Puppy Patch, by Heras and Carter, too.
Another dog-themed picture book in this collection of pet books is the final episode in Inhabit Media’s stories about the sled dog Kamik. In Kamik Takes the Lead, by Darryl Baker and illustrated by Ali Hinch, the puppy we first met four books ago is now preparing, with his human Jake, to run in his first dog race. The publisher notes, “Building on the dog-training practices outlined in Kamik Joins the Pack, Arviat, Nunavut, author and dog musher Darryl Baker shares with young readers the basic information needed to prepare a dog team for a race.”
Peachtree Publishing’s take on introducing picture book readers to information about dogs now includes Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog, by author and illustrator Lisa Papp. This is the second title the publisher and creator have dedicated to showing the working lives of both therapy dogs and the children who give back to them. Explore the activities Peachtree has developed for them here.
All these dog-centric books underscore how many varieties of dogs, and dog personalities there are. That’s celebrated in full by Child’s Play with the picture book Milo and Monty, written and illustrated by Roxana de Rond.
Maybe the pet your young reader has in mind is bigger than a dog? Also included in our prize pack are three volumes of “Pony Camp Diaries,” published by Tiger Tales. Megan and Mischief, Penny and Prince, and Chloe and Cookie, written by Kelly McKain, are chapter books for the equine-inclined. The first pair of the three noted in the assortment are illustrated by Mandy Stanley while the third one includes a brilliant photograph of pony and girl.
Maybe your young reader can have a pony for a pet. However, everyone will recognize that the final book in our prize pack is sheer and delightful fantasy. From NubeOcho and written by José Carlos Andrés, illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo, and translated by Ben Dawlatly, Adopting a Dinosaur introduces us to some clever parents who know just how to respond to their child’s request for a pet dinosaur. “Humorous without a trace of snark, this Spanish import hatches just right,” says Kirkus Reviews.
What would you do with a pack of puppies, some kittens and ponies, and an adoptable dinosaur? Tell us in the comment section below by 26th August—which just happens to be National Dog Day.