A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet

By Ali Rutstein & Tommy Doyle

Reviewed by Helen Gearing

‘Every family should have a pet. A faithful friend to welcome into your hearts and home.’

Rutstein’s debut picture book with Niña Nill, Ladybirds Do Not Go to Daycare was a CBCA notable earlier this year and her latest title, A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet, is another clever, humorous story for children three years and older.

Co-creator Tommy Doyle’s vibrantly coloured, joyous illustrations bring the story of a child who loves unusual animals – and is determined to raise their profile amongst other families by creating an authoritative pet-choosing guide – to bold, riotous life. This book is a wonderful introduction to the unreliable narrator trope and includes a memorable twist which will have readers eagerly retracing their steps to find visual clues they missed the first time round.

Doyle has a modern, fresh illustration style, and his characters include animals with the most expressive eyebrows since Bluey. The story is also supported by a highly appealing cover by talented designer Hana Kinoshita Thomson.

A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Pet joins a rich tradition of picture books about finding the right pet, from the household favourite Dear Zoo through to the slyly humourous A Pet for Mrs Arbuckle. And with ‘aloof’ kittens, ‘sinister’ guinea pigs and ‘impeccably mannered’ anacondas, the text both subverts animal stereotypes and introduces sophisticated adjectives – making reading (and rereading) the story pure joy.

Highly recommended for both animal lovers and those wary of the animal kingdom (perhaps with good reason!)

Albert Street Books 2024

Ali Rutstein

Tommy Doyle