When the narrator of this poetic picture-book presses her scientist-parents for a pet, they insist that she do some research first. Trips to the farm, zoo, woodland, and pet store follow, as does some home study. Throughout it all, the girl observes different species, and determines that each, although seemingly attractive at first, has a significant downside. Her eventual "pet," after much consideration, requires a microscope to be seen...

Author Lisa Wheeler and illustrator Zachariah OHora play around with the idea of the cute and cuddly animal companion in The Pet Project, which contains numerous species-specific poems, all joining together to tell the overarching story of the girl and her search for the perfect pet. The downside of each animal definitely outweighs the up, and many of the poems had me chuckling. My favorite was the one devoted to the seemingly benign bunnies, who are revealed as planning a military campaign of conquest. The narrator concludes: "Their cute reputations / are rabbity lies. / They're voracious Vikings / in bunny disguise." Recommended for readers looking for rhyming picture-books and/or children's stories with a not-so-sweet take on our animal friends. ( )

I enjoyed the contrast between the (seemingly) cute, sweet drawings and the cynicism of the kid narrator's verse. 11. The art flows along with the story like a comic without panels. As the reader's eyes follow the text spread over the page and through the drawing, there are many small visual jokes that reference the developments within the story, such as squirrels bizarrely dressed like landscapers and tiny squid-like aliens hidden inside an ant farm.

The theme seems to be an amusing, ironic disgust towards animals that are typically rendered as adorable in children's books. These poems show downsides to pet ownership such as being bitten, urinated on, and having poop flung at you. The frontispiece depicts many of the animals featured in the book lined up in a row facing the reader; the endpages show the animals' rear ends (and their asterix-like sphincters). ( )

Poetic reality check for pet wanters with cool illustrators as well! Looking forward to sharing this with the students. IB PYP: inquirer, knowledgeable, thinker, communicator, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective. ( )

Full of verse about animals. The opening rhyme warning that "animals aren't always charming", that's what the verses focus on :) Really great basic rhyming, while still having a great story! Pictures are cute and funny. Really enjoyed looking at this one.

Full review at http://thebookshelfgargoyle.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/two-quirky-picture-books-re...

This is a really enjoyable picture book. The poems follow on from each other, creating a narrative, and are jam-packed with funny observations from the intrepid little investigator searching out the perfect candidate for pet-hood. The length of the text and the format would probably be more suited to young independent readers, or alternately, make it a great option for a classroom read-aloud on the subject of taking a scientific approach to decision-making.

The illustrations are quirky and humorous and add a great deal to the appeal of the book. ( )