The Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet by Ali Rutstein and illustrated by Tommy Doyle

Title: The Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet

Author: Ali Rutstein and illustrated by Tommy Doyle

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 29^th October 2024

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 32

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: Choosing the perfect family pet is easy with this simple guide… OR IS IT?

Every family should have a pet.
A faithful friend to welcome into your hearts and home.
This guide is a MUST HAVE to help you decide which pet is the perfect fit for your family.

Crocodiles, for instance, make excellent pets. They are peaceful creatures, with cheerful, happy-go-lucky personalities.
Puppies, on the other hand, are a terrible choice.

Do you need help finding the perfect pet for your family? Then this book is for you! All the advice is vetted by experts. What could possibly go wrong…?

This truly hilarious picture book will have readers in stitches… (especially if you take it too literally!)

~*~

Everyone wants the perfect pet – but what is it? Most people go for a cat, or a dog, or a hamster. But what if – what if – the perfect pet is something just a little bit out there? Every family will have different needs, and every family needs a pet. It’s the very thing that can bring zest ad life into a family. But not every pet will suit every family. So – what pet do you want?

This fun book about choosing a pet by Ali Rutstein is filled with out their ideas about what makes the perfect pet. A wild animal like a lion or a crocodile, or even an elephant are surely, most definitely, maybe going to be less chaotic than the usual puppy or kitten. Of course, they’re going to be. They can’t cause the trouble that puppies and kittens can cause. And wild animals don’t need as much space, right? Well, this book will tell you just what the benefit of each pet is, and how they can fit into your life. Anyone who has ever had a pet will appreciate this book and its tongue-in-cheek way of looking at pets and animals.

The Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet is a book that the whole family will love. Even the one who doesn’t want a pet! This book has it all – humour, reverse psychology and above all, a love of animals that dances off the page to allow readers to have a laugh as they plan getting the perfect pet for their family. Reading it feels like you’re getting an inside look at familial arguments about pets – who wants what pet, who wants a pet, who doesn’t want a pet and why a family needs the new pet. And if you’re getting your first pet and going through the wonderfully bizarre suggestions that young children can come up with when asking for their first pet. What I absolutely loved about this new picture book was that it is filled with joy and whimsy, and whilst it might have a lesson, it’s subtle. It’s gentle and calm, and one that is fun to learn. One that brings joy and giggles to life. This is a book that can help your family whittle down which pet is right for you.

Ali Rutstein is a new author for me, and I loved her approach to choosing a pet. It is fun and one that children and readers of all ages will find amusing, and it is a story that works on many different levels. Animals and animal stories are common in picture books. Every author approaches this theme, and these stories are full of joy and humour. Because of this, every reader will find an animal story that they love and as a reader and reviewer, I am enjoying seeing the different types of animal stories that Australian authors are coming out at the moment. I think this one will entertain child readers thoroughly and become a family favourite.