‘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!)