The Pet Project: Cute And Cuddly Vicious Verses (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
A young girl sets off with her journal looking for the perfect pet, making field observations in verse all along the way. Because her parents are scientists, they insist she do some research before she makes a decision. The journey is filled with her amusing experiences captured as she wanders to a farm, a zoo, and the woods behind her house. Readers will be surprised at her conclusion! The book will be a fun read to introduce how to share one’s adventures by writing in rhyme. One example: “Never take a tiger home,/no matter how he pleads with you,/’cause if you take a tiger home,/we’ll soon see how he feeds with you.” Ohora illustrates the funny details in a graphic style. In a series of 27 amusing poems, a young girl follows her parents' suggestion that she investigate all the animals she might consider for a pet before they will agree to adding one to the family. The whole family seems to have a predilection for science, which prompts her to conduct a series of field observations during which she studies the behavior of a cow, a chicken, a pony, among others, before moving on to the zoo and the forest. Since none of those seem suitable, she brings her investigation closer to home and then to a pet store. In the end, it seems that her investigation paid off--just not in the way that she might have expected. There are delights aplenty in these poems, from verses celebrating the quiet behavior of a bovine animal in "Cow" to the unexpected wetness of a pet in "Guinea Pig." Readers will certainly smile at the fact that chocolate Labs contain not even a smidgen of chocolate or that golden retrievers do not search for gold as spelled out in "Disappointments." The acrylic paint illustrations bring plenty of energy to the poems in their depiction of the animals under consideration and the facial expressions of this young would-be pet owner. While quite entertaining, the book reminds readers that taking care of pets can be a big responsibility, and not something to be considered lightly.
What do You think about The Pet Project: Cute And Cuddly Vicious Verses (2013)?
Great poems and fun art, but the actual layout of the book was a bit cramped and overwhelming.
—lynnster
A sensational scientific selection process for the perfect pet. -Monty K.
—angela
Very fun. Especially loved the poems about the cow and turtle.
—Lauren
Absolutely lovely. A picture book story told through verse.
—zenenuf
I loved the way this book combined poetry and more.
—rayeden
