Pet of a Pet - Hardcover

K-Gr 2-This circular story pulls together a cast of barnyard characters, some amusing wordplay, and cheerful cartoon illustrations with mixed results. From Tabitha, a redheaded girl with a pet horse, to Rover, a cat with a pet person named "Tabby," each animal on the farm enjoys the company of a beloved companion. One by one, the "owners" admire their particular pet's abilities and teach it a trick. Repetition helps to keep the overly long text from dragging, but young listeners may still tire of the tale before it's over. The animals' names, which seem unsuitable at first glance, reveal more about the "owners" than the pets (e.g., the horse has a pet cow named Whinny, the cow has a pig named Clover, the pig has a rooster named Oink, etc.). This device is charming the first few times but seems less so by the end. Finally, the use of brief declarative sentences makes the story somewhat choppy. Still, Nash's sunny farmyard scenes, created in gouache and pencil, match the perky, positive flavor of the text and his button-eyed animals are expressive and appealing. Given the perennial popularity of the subject matter, this could be a useful addition despite its flaws.-Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

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